The New York Knicks are facing adversity. Some real, honest, genuine adversity. Josh Hart and Landry Shamet, potentially the two most important players to the locker room's spirit and morale, are sidelined with injuries. On the court, New York has dropped four straight contests. Their most recent loss came in a battle of Eastern Conference leaders to the first-seeded Detroit Pistons, a game the Knicks lost by more than 30 points. After the game, head coach Mike Brown identified the same, infamous culprit that he's often cited as the cause of his team's struggles thus far: physicality.
Knicks struggling to show their New York grit
This is officially a trend for the Knicks. It may have become one weeks ago. After a loss to the Orlando Magic in mid-November, Brown cited the Knicks' physicality as a major issue. After the loss to the San Antonio Spurs on New Year's Eve, Brown said it again. And after losing to the Pistons on Monday, the explanation for poor play got another go.
“It’s pretty simple," Brown told reporters in Detroit. "They just physically kicked our ass.”
It could be seen as a positive that the team essentially knows exactly what has held them back from handling the new year with stride. However, it's not clear that there's any quick fix to their specific issues. Consistently struggling against physical opponents could certainly be related to scheme. But it presents as primarily due to a lack of collective grit.
The Knicks typically identify themselves with that exact toughness, making this an unwelcome change of pace. Getting Hart and Shamet back would not fix this in a vacuum. Could it inspire enough individual players to step it up and make a difference?
Hart could return in the next week
The last update the Knicks gave on Hart's health came over the weekend, during their pair of back to back contests. The team stated that the 30-year-old had resumed "light court work" and would be re-evaluated in one week. That seemingly set him up to miss at least three more games.
However, Knicks reporter Ian Begley said on Tuesday there was a chance Hart could be back for the team's Wednesday night game against the Clippers. While Hart was ruled out by Tuesday night, Begley's report is an indication that his return could be as soon as Friday. That's when the Knicks play in Phoenix, the start of a four-game road trip.
While Shamet isn't supposed to return for a couple of weeks, getting Hart back before heading out West would be a major development for Brown's Knicks. It might not fix all of their problems, but Hart's high motor might help address their most consistent.