3 Knicks rotation changes that Tom Thibodeau needs to consider

2: Limit Josh Hart's role on occasion

While Josh Hart's efficiency has dipped since his hot shooting to close the 2022-23 season, he's continued to remain one of the best role players in the NBA. His rebounding and defense are still crucial to the Knicks' success, owning the second-highest net rating of any rotation player on the team.

However, his role doesn't need to be as large as it currently is. Many expected his minutes to drop following the signing of DiVincenzo combined with Immanuel Quickley's breakout season, operating in a smaller rotation spot as an all-around wing who could play some minutes at power forward when Randle heads to the bench.

His role has remained mostly the same, though, averaging 27.7 minutes per game, which represents a decrease of just 2.3 fewer minutes each night than he recorded last season.

While it seems counterintuitive to limit the usage of one of the team's most impactful players, Thibodeau's propensity to give Hart an extended role regardless of his effectiveness often hurts the team.

Outside of a recent contest against the Los Angeles Clippers in which he got ejected after only eight minutes of play, the 28-year-old has shot below 40% from the floor in 10 games this season. However, he still averaged 26.5 minutes per game in those contests. It's not as though his intangibles were enough to outweigh his poor shooting either, as the Knicks finished with a record of 4-6 on those nights.

This doesn't mean that Hart should get pulled from every contest after missing a couple of shots in a row, but Thibodeau shouldn't attempt to play him down the stretch of close games if he's having an off night.