Josh Hart won’t be back in the Knicks’ lineup Tuesday against Milwaukee, but the reason for his third straight absence is the part New York can feel good about.
Mike Brown said Hart is out because of an illness, and that if not for that issue, he would be playing. That matters because Hart’s longer-running concern has been a nagging ankle injury that has kept him sidelined since November 2. In other words, this latest setback doesn’t appear to be tied to the ankle, which is a relief for a player who means so much to this team.
Hart had been off to a slow start before he went down, posting 8.6 points, 7.3 rebounds and 3.9 assists per game while shooting 38.6 percent from the field. Those are his worst numbers since arriving in New York in 2023. The hope now is that, once the illness passes, he can return as soon as Wednesday and gradually get back to his usual level.
In the meantime, Landry Shamet has stepped into a bigger role and made the most of it. With Hart out, Shamet has been working alongside Jalen Brunson in the backcourt, and the results have been strong.
Over that stretch, he has averaged 12.7 points, 1.3 assists and 1.3 rebounds while shooting 52.2 percent overall and 42.1 percent from three. The Knicks have won all three games.
That run has come with New York looking sharp on both ends. With Shamet on the floor, the Knicks are putting up 119.2 points per 100 possessions while allowing just 107.5, and opponents are shooting only 48.8 percent effective field goal percentage. Those numbers rank in the 82 and 91 percentiles, respectively.
Still, this isn’t a case of the Knicks suddenly being better off without Hart in the big picture. His value over four-and-a-half years in New York has been a major part of what this team has built. What this stretch does show, though, is that the Knicks have more than one player on a bargain deal who can step in and make a real impact.
In Other News...
James Dolan May Be Standing In The Knicks' Way Again
Karl-Anthony Towns irritation over not having a contract extension appears to be aimed less at the Knicks basketball operations staff than at owner James Dolan, according to James L. Edwards III of The Athletic. The backdrop here is straightforward enough: New York has been working through the realities of a pricey roster, and the extension conversation has become part of that larger picture as the team tries to balance present ambition with future flexibility.
Dolans reluctance to push the Knicks into the NBAs second salary cap apron has added another layer to the discussion, with the concern centered on roster-building restrictions rather than simple spending. The Athletic piece lays out how those second-apron rules can limit what a team can do, while also noting that New York is already living with some of those constraints because of its current salary situation, which makes the extension question feel less like a routine negotiation and more like a test of how far the franchise is willing to go. [Read more 🡒]
Knicks Face A Bigger Karl-Anthony Towns Decision Than Fans Realize
The Knicks have already put a big number on the table for Karl-Anthony Towns, with a reported offer in the $45 million to $50 million per year range, but there still is not an extension in place. For a team that has spent recent seasons trying to build around star power, the hesitation says as much about long-term planning as it does about Towns himself.
New York is weighing more than just the immediate fit. The front office is wary of locking into another expensive deal that could age badly as stars get older, especially with salary cap rules making every major commitment harder to unwind. The result is a familiar Knicks balancing act, one that could shape not only Towns' future but the flexibility of the roster around him. [Read more 🡒]
Knicks Keep Finding Bargains And Jordan Clarkson Is Proving Why
The Knicks have made a habit of squeezing real value out of the margins, and Jordan Clarkson is the latest example. On a veterans minimum deal, he has been one of their most productive players this season and has even led the team in plus/minus through its first nine games, a reminder that bargain contracts can carry real weight when the roster is built the right way.
Landry Shamet offered a similar blueprint last season, arriving on a non-guaranteed deal before turning that opportunity into a multi-year contract after helping in the playoffs. In a salary cap era where every usable rotation piece matters, New York has shown it can uncover players who outperform the price tag, and Clarkson is giving that approach another boost. [Read more 🡒]