The New York Knicks earned a trip to Las Vegas with their win over the Toronto Raptors on Tuesday night. The 117-101 road victory was led by Jalen Brunson, who scored 35 points on 13-19 field goal shooting. Also starring in the quarterfinal triumph was Josh Hart, who tallied 21 points, six rebounds, four assists, and two steals. Knicks head coach Mike Brown told reporters after the game in Toronto that Hart's impact reminded him of Andre Iguodala, 2015 Finals MVP with the Golden State Warriors.
Why Hart reminds Brown of Warriors' surprise Finals MVP
Hart does it all for the Knicks, with his perpetually-high motor fueling impact plays on both ends of the court. Brown declared after the team's 17th win of the season that it took a trained eye to recognize Hart's true impact.
"I tell you what, he reminds me of Andre Iguodala from the sense that if you don't really understand basketball, then it's hard to really appreciate their game. Both those guys, sometimes we look at him, and you might be like, well, he's not really this, he's not that, he can't do this again. It's the opposite. It's they can do everything. Josh can do everything," the coach told media.
Josh Hart's hot 3-point streak is making the difference
Hart's performance on Tuesday night was especially important to the Knicks because of his 3-point shooting. He's a 34.5% 3-point shooter for his career but is shooting 44.4% from downtown thus far in December. The Knicks have already played five games in the year's final month, during which time Hart has attempted 5.4 3-pointers per game and made 2.4 of those looks on average.
The 30-year-old veteran doesn't need to become the third 'Splash Brother' to help the Knicks on their quest for a championship. But making quick decisions, whether that's taking an open 3-pointer or driving into the space, are integral to the team's spacing. If opponents don't feel like they need to guard Hart if he's 20 feet away from the basket, both Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns are left to drive into a crowd or create from the perimeter in isolation.
The Knicks' offense under Brown can hit another level if Hart continues to find success from deep. Brown said so himself on Tuesday night.
"They keep going in, and people keep leaving him open because they're trying to put their fives on them. He can shoot a little bit, but he works really hard at it," Brown said, praising Hart. "It's no surprise to us that he's shooting it as well as he is."