Josh Hart dropped a bombshell at Media Day when he revealed that he had re-aggravated an injury that he has been dealing with in his finger this summer and will have to play with a splint on it this season. While the news was shocking, it isn't as devastating as fans first made it seem, considering the Knicks don't need Josh Hart to be a shooter; they need him to be Josh Hart.
Last season, a lot of attention was given to Hart playing with the starters, and rightfully so. The Knicks are built around Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns, two players who thrive with space to operate. When Hart was in the lineup with them, it mucked things up for a couple of reasons.
Hart isn't a shooter, nor is he treated like one. Teams often guarded him with a center, who would sag way off of him and clog the paint for everyone else. This also allowed teams to use a forward to guard Towns, which caused plenty of other problems for the Knicks' second-best offensive player.
For Hart to be effective, they need him to play in situations where he doesn't have to be used as a floor-spacer, because he isn't one. Hart does plenty of other great things, and if he can play through the pain of his injury, he should still be able to do them.
The Knicks need Hart to be himself
If the Knicks shift Hart to a bench role, they can stagger his minutes with Towns more. Allowing the offense to have a different look and for Hart to thrive in the role he was meant to be in: a chaos causer.
Hart is at his most effective and impactful when he is flying around the floor wrecking havoc on the opposing team. He is perhaps the best inch-per-inch rebounder in the league and can turn a defensive rebound into a transition scoring opportunity in a flash.
If he is able to lay the ball in at the rim off smart cuts, able to catch and pass the ball, and able to be the up-tempo spark plug that he is, then the Knicks will be just fine. What is most important is putting Hart in a role where he can impact the game in ways that only he can, while not jeopardizing the spacing for the rest of the lineup that is playing.