Josh Hart is one of those players coaches trust the second the game starts to get messy. He chases rebounds well beyond his area, takes on bigger defensive assignments, turns the floor over with his pace and energy, and does it all without needing the offense built around him.
That makes him indispensable. It also makes him tricky.
The Knicks have more ballhandlers and more shooting around Jalen Brunson now than they did at the start of the title run, which changes how Hart fits. He still belongs in the biggest games, but the best five-man group will not always be the same one from possession to possession.
Nobody is talking about pushing him out of the rotation. The real challenge is resisting the idea that 35 hard minutes is the only way Hart can matter.
He can still finish games as a rebounder, a secondary creator and the defender willing to take on the matchup nobody else wants. He can also tilt a game from the bench when the starters need a burst of pace and effort.
Hart will tell you he wants every minute. That part is simple enough. But with a long season ahead and a deeper roster in place, the Knicks can afford to spread some of that load in October and November.
The smartest approach is saving the full Hart package for the moments that demand it: a playoff opponent with size, a tight fourth quarter or a night when New York is getting beaten on the glass. The goal is not less Josh Hart.
It is fresher Josh Hart when it matters most.
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There is a reason the idea matters for New York. Anunoby has shown he can absorb contact and stay balanced against hard defense, which makes him a natural fit for a more assertive role in the scoring mix. If he starts taking more proactive chances with the ball and putting pressure on defenses earlier in possessions, the Knicks could become harder to load up against and a lot less predictable when the game tightens. [Read more 🡒]
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Tyler Kolek sits closer to the center of that conversation than he did a few days ago. Mike Brown has already shown a willingness to trust Kolek in meaningful moments even with the defensive concerns that come with his game, and that kind of faith can matter in a competition where opportunities are never handed out freely. For all the help this opens up on the guard side, it also leaves New York with another decision looming as it weighs how best to balance the backcourt against bigger needs elsewhere. [Read more 🡒]