Josh Hart doesn’t always light up the box score, but if you’ve been watching the Knicks this season, you know his value goes way beyond numbers. He’s the kind of player every contender needs-one who thrives in the margins, doing the gritty, unglamorous work that doesn’t show up in highlight reels but wins games.
Yes, Jalen Brunson is the face of this Knicks team. He’s the engine, the closer, the All-Star.
But Hart? He’s the glue.
The connective tissue. The guy who makes everything just click a little better.
Hart’s been that way going back to his Villanova days, where he built a reputation as a selfless teammate and relentless competitor. But it’s in the NBA-especially during his time with the Trail Blazers-where he really started to evolve into the kind of player who can impact winning in a dozen different ways without needing the ball in his hands.
His time in Portland was a turning point. With Damian Lillard, Anfernee Simons, and Jerami Grant handling most of the scoring load, Hart had to adapt-and he did.
He learned how to stay engaged without being the focal point, how to influence the game through movement, effort, and awareness. That mindset stuck with him.
“I think I acquired that in Portland,” Hart explained. “Mark Tyndale, who's here now, I told him, ‘I'm not getting the ball.’ We had Dame, Ant, Jerami… we're not saying you can't score, but they can score the ball better.”
That realization didn’t diminish his impact-it sharpened it. Hart embraced the role, leaned into the dirty work, and found peace in the process.
“In games like these, that sacrifices me from going out there and being super aggressive,” he said. “It took a bit of getting used to, but now, I'm in a good headspace.”
And that shows every night he steps on the court for New York.
Hart’s rebounding is elite for his position-he crashes the glass like a power forward, often sparking fast breaks or keeping possessions alive. He sets hard screens, boxes out bigger players, dives for loose balls like they’re diamonds, and brings an edge that resonates throughout the roster. He’s the guy who makes the extra rotation on defense, who talks on switches, who plays every possession like it matters-because to him, it does.
He’s not trying to be the star. He’s trying to be the reason the stars shine brighter. And in a league where roles can blur and egos often clash, Hart’s clarity of purpose is a huge asset for the Knicks.
In a city that appreciates grit as much as glamour, Josh Hart fits right in. He’s not just a good teammate-he’s the kind of player who helps define a team’s identity. And for a Knicks squad with big aspirations, that might be just as important as anything in the stat sheet.