Josh Hart entered the season revealing he aggravated an injury on his shooting hand that would eventually require surgery. He has since reiterated that he has no intention of going under the knife anytime soon, and it doesn’t appear the New York Knicks will push for him to change his mind.
And now, we know why: It could effectively ruin, if not potentially end, his entire season.
Speaking on The Putback with Ian Begley, the SNY insider explained why Hart and the Knicks are taking the gut-it-out route:
"If you go in and you have that surgery, yes, the timetable is reportedly three months. But you're talking about your shooting hand, nerves in your hand. It's a big risk, big rehab in-season…It's also his shooting hand, and there's too much on the line in terms of what could go wrong. I was one of the people who thought, ‘Why not just get under the knife, get it over with, and come back?' But after asking him about it, the things he was saying made a lot of sense to me.’”
Begley was not alone in wondering whether New York should, let’s say, politely urge Hart to get the surgery now. His start to the season, while also coping with a back injury, had everyone asking all sorts of comfortable questions.
A scorching-hot start for Hart in November has quashed those concerns. New York must still be prepared for his performance to wax and wane, because shooting finger/hand injuries are fickle—particularly when nerve issues are involved. But the more you think about it, the more this direction beats the alternative.
Josh Hart is too important to the Knicks
Part of what made Hart’s struggles so frustrating is that the Knicks couldn’t afford them. He is too critical to the overall product. Bouncing him from the starting lineup doesn’t change that.
If anything, moving him to the bench amplifies his importance. We have already seen Mitchell Robinson shuffle in and out of the lineup as he manages an ankle injury. Combine that with a regrettable start from Guerschon Yabusele, general topsy-turviness from Jordan Clarkson, and the total absence of a reliable backup floor general, and the Knicks are finding out that they’re not as dependably deep as they initially thought.
This is before even considering the shaky wing depth. After Mikal Bridges and OG Anunoby, there is only Hart. Rookie Mohamed Diawara isn’t ready for major minutes, Landry Shamet isn’t a true wing, and Pacome Dadiet is always tottering on the verge of ending up on a milk carton.
Navigating Hart’s absence even for 12 weeks could prove to be a massive, if not untenable, undertaking. The idea that surgery would sideline him for three months at the absolute minimum makes it a total deal-breaker.
No one should pretend this is ideal. It’s not. Hart should have the flexibility to get surgery, recover, and return to 100 percent. The reality is, unless something changes, he doesn’t. The uncertainty of a timeline for return is too great.
We’ll have to wait and see what that means for Hart’s overarching impact. Can he maintain his current play as a baseline? Get even better? Will this be a roller-coaster season?
The answer, quite frankly, is irrelevant for the Knicks. They’re just lucky he’s tough enough to be playing at all.