Ben Simmons is reportedly still on the New York Knicks’ radar, which can mean only one thing: It is time for Josh Hart to kneel before the altar of whatever higher power he worships, and pray that the once-upon-a-time star signs anywhere else.
According to SNY’s Ian Begley, “as of earlier this week, New York continued to show strong interest in signing Simmons,” and teams in the running are basically waiting for him to make a decision. It remains to be seen whether money will factor into this equation. Guerschon Yabusele did the Knicks a massive favor by taking less than the mini mid-level exception, but that still only leaves them with a veteran’s minimum salary to offer. Some of the other squads keeping tabs on the 29-year-old will have more to spend.
That is terrific news for Hart, because if New York wins the Simmons sweepstakes, it will sabotage so much of what makes him valuable.
Ben Simmons would put Josh Hart in a tough spot
There is some merit to the Knicks adding Simmons. He offers a ton of size and impactful activity on the defensive end. And for all his offensive flaws, of which there are many, he remains a savvy passer, particularly in the open floor.
Still, paying another non-shooter is counterintuitive to the five-out model the Knicks acquired Karl-Anthony Towns to actualize, yet to which they remain fairly uncommitted. No, Simmons won’t be coming to The Big Apple so that he can play 30 minutes per game, or usurp Hart in the rotation. But his arrival would signal that New York will predominantly play with one to two questionable shooters at all times.
Head coach Mike Brown wouldn’t be able to start Deuce McBride, because that would leave Hart, Simmons, and Mitchell Robinson all coming off the bench—a hypothetical of cataclysmically crappy proportions. To avoid having Simmons and Robinson overlap, the Knicks would almost assuredly open games with the latter alongside Towns.
And look, they might do that anyway. But there’s a difference between Hart moving to the bench to be a lead ball-handler, and having him headline reserve units that slot him alongside Simmons, who’s as much of a non-threat from the perimeter as Robinson.
The Knicks just might ruin Josh Hart’s biggest strength
Basically, by signing Simmons, New York would be consigning Hart to log the majority of his reps beside Simmons himself, or Robinson. Not only would that cast an even brighter spotlight on Hart’s three-point limitations, but it’s going to absolutely devastate his ability to put pressure on the basket.
Turn the dial back to last year for proof. Across both the regular season and playoffs, 46.5 percent of Hart’s shot attempts came at the rim without Robinson on the floor, per PBP Stats. That number plunged down to 24.5 percent when the two played tougher.
Having your rim frequency almost halved is actually bonkers. Equally alarming: Hart’s shooting efficiency at the rim dropped by eight full percentage points during the time he spent alongside Robinson.
Somehow, someway, the Knicks still posted 1.16 points per possession with this duo, the rough equivalent of a top-10 offense. (Offensive rebounding helped.) But there’s no guarantee that output holds when Hart is spending even more time next to a total non-shooter. And even if it does, New York would need to have a near-elite defense for a top-10ish to be considered good enough.
So while there's a case for the Knicks to sign Simmons, the argument against it stronger—unless they’re planning to trade Hart.