No one knows for sure what will actually change with the Knicks under Mike Brown. One of the most common thoughts is that Josh Hart will shift to a bench role. Depending on who replaces him in the starting lineup, this feels like the right move, considering how last year's starting lineup never seemed to gel fully. That said, with Hart on the floor with the starters less, the Knicks' transition offense could take a hit.
Hart should still see plenty of time on the court; it will just be a matter of who he is playing with. One of the benefits of having him with the starters is that he does all of the dirty work and is one of the most dynamic players in starting transition possessions on the roster.
For a team that was often overly reliant on Jalen Brunson's creation in the halfcourt, having someone who can help generate easy buckets in transition was certainly beneficial.
Hart started a lot of transition possessions
In terms of scoring in transition, Hart isn't the most efficient player on the Knicks. Five players on the Knicks averaged three or more transition possessions per game, including Hart. Of those players, Hart averaged 1.15 points per possession, which is the fourth-lowest out of that group of players.
That said, Hart still started plenty of great transition looks for others. According to league tracking data, 540 offensive possessions were started for the Knicks by Josh Hart, securing a defensive rebound. Of those possessions, over 40 percent were transition possessions, which was the highest among any of the Knicks' starters last year.
Of the rebounds that led to transition possessions, the Knicks averaged 1.26 points per possession, which was the second-highest among Knicks' starters, after Karl-Anthony Towns.
The upside and downside of benching Hart
Those rebounds and fast breaks are part of what makes Hart such a good player. He is a monster on the glass for his size at both ends of the court, is always moving, and does little things on the floor that coaches love.
That said, we do know that Brown wants to play with not just pace, but space as well. Hart isn't respected as a shooter, plain and simple. He also isn't defended as a shooter. If the Knicks and Brown want the floor to be spaced, it involves moving Hart to the bench for a shooter like Deuce McBride.