The New York Knicks have experimented with several different rotations this season, with new head coach Mike Brown showing thus far that he's unafraid to mix things up. After Wednesday night's win over the Charlotte Hornets, Brown was once again his own biggest critic when he revealed to reporters that he felt that not closing games with Josh Hart on the floor was a mistake.
Brown is unafraid to call out Knicks' mistakes (even his own)
The 55-year-old coach has been establishing a culture thus far that involves blunt discussions of the team's effort, even when it's subpar. Brown has been unafraid to call out his players' defense or how they deal with opponents' physicality. He is also no stranger to criticizing himself, which is key to his culture of accountability. Brown's players are seemingly fine with him calling them out in part because he doesn't mince words when discussing blunders of his own.
After the Knicks' NBA Cup win over the Hornets, Brown had high praise for Hart. The versatile, do-it-all veteran has come off the bench for New York, leading the improved second unit. With OG Anunoby and Landry Shamet injured, though, Brown has been trying other lineups. He inserted both Hart and guard Deuce McBride into his starting lineup against the Hornets, which paid immediate dividends. Hart had 22 points, eight rebounds, seven assists, and three steals; McBride had 19 points in part because of a perfect 3-point shooting night (5-5).
“I’ll be the first to say that wasn’t the right thing to do," Brown said of benching Hart in the fourth quarter of consecutive games leading up to the win in Charlotte. "Because he does so many great things for us, and our group, and our coaching staff. And obviously, as time has gone on, we’ve gotten a better feel for how we’re going to play him: and he’s got a better feel too."
Josh Hart's persistence remains key to Knicks
Brown also spoke to the importance of Hart's attitude. The 30-year-old rebounding machine raised a few eyebrows with his media day answer about whether or not he would be starting again this season. While teammate Mitchell Robinson said he was indifferent and would simply do his best either way, Hart advocated for himself and made sure to say that he believes he's a starter in the NBA.
There's no actual issue with Hart stating something he believes to be a fact. Knick fans would probably have worse things to say if Hart had said he wasn't sure if he deserved to start. However, Hart clearly hasn't shared concerns regarding his role with his coach. Brown praised him for this.
"But, back then, he obviously could’ve b****ed, or complained, or threw a fit. He didn’t. He continued to believe in the process, even though what I was doing was wrong at the time," Brown said of his rotational decisions in recent games.
Hart will be a key part of the Knicks' lineup for as long as he's on the team. Especially for as long as Anunoby and Shamet are out, fans will gladly take more near-triple-doubles and 20-point performances.