After winning the third-ever NBA Cup and winning three of their next five, the New York Knicks lost nine of eleven games. The stretch began on New Year's Eve and lasted weeks, until they ripped off an eight-game win streak in a resounding response. Josh Hart was asked what fueled that stretch on his podcast with Jalen Brunson, The Roommates Show, revealing that it was as simple as improving their communication. Hart told Brunson and co-host Matt Hillman that as the Knicks have been talking more, they've been winning more.
Knicks' improved communication fueled eight-game win streak, per Hart
Asked by Hillman what it was that Knicks players were individually doing better amid that eight-game win streak, Hart said it was the team communicating better as a whole that made the biggest difference.
"Communication. The one thing that Deuce [McBride] said, it was like: we gotta make sure we trust each other. Like, we continue to build that trust. Especially defensively ... it's just a line of communication and trust, and I feel like we've been doing a really good job with that," Hart explained.
Hart said that the change isn't only noticeable on the court, adding that anyone close enough to hear players' chatter during games might agree with his take on what the Knicks have improved on in recent weeks.
"On the court, you can kind of hear us talking more, like, "I'm sinking, I'm sinking! I got your X! Like, send him here! I'm in a shift over here! I think that communication helping us defensively, and that's kind of aiding our offense in terms of getting out, playing fast and doing those kind of things," Hart told his two podcast co-hosts.
The All-Star Break came at a great time for the Knicks
During the Knicks' recent game against the Boston Celtics on February 8, the all-Fordham ESPN broadcasting duo of Ryan Ruocco and P.J. Carlesimo remarked during a first-half timeout that few players could use the rest provided by the All-Star Break than Hart. The 30-year-old is playing seven fewer minutes per game this season than last, which would typically be seen as a sizable demotion in role.
For Hart, the decrease in playing time still has him spending over 30 minutes per game on the court. After leading the NBA in minutes per game last year, his reduced role under new head coach Mike Brown is designed to help him manage fatigue and injury throughout the regular season.
The two Ram broadcasters were fair in pointing out that the Swiss Army knife veteran looked exhausted, though, showing that this year's All-Star Break was coming at the right time for New York. Their first game out of the break is against another Eastern Conference contender, a Detroit Pistons team that's had their number so far this season.