Amid all the chatter regarding a possible Giannis Antetokounmpo blockbuster or reunion with a former beloved guard in Donte DiVincenzo, the New York Knicks have quietly made the biggest move of the season so far without adding a single player to their roster.
After finding themselves boasting a middling 9-6 record over their first 15 games of action, coach Mike Brown decided to ditch the double-big lineup of Karl-Anthony Towns and Mitchell Robinson, opting to slide the former to the pivot, the latter to the second unit, and inserting Josh Hart in as the club's primary two guard instead.
Since making this shift back on November 24, the results have been truly sensational for the Knicks as a whole, as they've now skyrocketed into the upper echelon of the league's elite squads, while the veteran wing has found himself playing arguably the best ball in his entire nine-year career.
Knicks made biggest move of season by making Josh Hart a starter
Though many may have initially questioned the move because of the negative impact it was believed to have on their overall size, after 12 games played with this experimental configuration, it's clear that these concerns were more superficial than anything else.
From a record standpoint, Hart's presence in the first five has been truly game-changing, as the Knicks have gone 10-2 in regular-season action with such a lineup, and even ended up winning the league's third NBA Cup along the way.
The 30-year-old, meanwhile, has proven himself to be a true stat-sheet stuffer supreme, as he's averaging a ridiculous 14.8 points, 9.3 rebounds, 5.7 assists, and 2.0 steals while shooting 52.4 percent from the field and 42.4 percent from deep in such a role.
With their new primary first five unit of Brunson, Hart, OG Anunoby, Mikal Bridges, and Towns, the Knicks place in the 83 percentile in point differential (+8.4), the 98 percentile in points per 100 possessions (127.2), and the 99 percentile in effective field goal percentage (62.1), and have sported a top-12 defensive rating of 112.9 since entrusting Hart as a full-time starter.
Clearly, this new lineup orientation has been working wonders for New York as a whole, as they now reside in the second seed out in the Eastern Conference standings at 20-8 and boast the third-best odds for taking home the 2026 Larry O'Brien Trophy at +1200, trailing only the Denver Nuggets at +850 and the reigning champion OKC Thunder at -115.
Hopefully, these good times are built to last!