Dribble, 12.3/Video editing: Ziv Steiner
It is doubtful that even the biggest optimists believed that Josh Hart's impact on New York would be so dramatic.
The guard/forward was traded to the Big Apple last year for Cam Reddish, Ryan Archidiacono, Sebi Mykhailchuk and a second round pick - and immediately became one of the favorite players at Madison Square Garden.
This season he has also become one of the most important players in Tom Thibodeau's machine - all the more so in light of the injuries to Julius Randle, OJ Anonovy and Mitchell Robinson.
The tough coach, known among other things for the multiple playing minutes he gives his stars, shared with Hart 44 minutes, 42 minutes, 42 minutes, 40 minutes, 47 minutes, 45 minutes, 43 minutes and 42 minutes since the All-Star break (the only player to have played that much A lot in eight consecutive games was James Harden in 2016).
Tonight (between Tuesday and Wednesday), with Anonovy's return, Hart got "only" 39 minutes, and provided an unusual display of purpose against Philadelphia: 20 points, 19 rebounds and 10 assists, in what was his fourth triple-double of the season.
The Knicks dismantled Philadelphia and Hart went down to the bench six minutes to the end, to a standing ovation at the Garden, without being able to pick up his 20th rebound.
"It could have been nice, but Thomas Thibodeau took me out," he said sarcastically.
"I could have made a 20-20 game, but Thomas took me out. I appreciate that."
The coach was asked back if Hart was angry with him at the end and said with a smile: "He will always complain about something. It goes in one ear and out the other. He plays to win and that's what I like about him, he doesn't care about the numbers."
Hart, one of the funniest players in the league, was asked if he had become a triple-double machine and said: "No, no, no. I just run and pray I catch the ball. If I catch it, I keep running."
Although he is 1.93 meters tall and started only 24 times in the top five, Hart pulls down 7.7 rebounds per game - more than Myles Turner, LeBron James, Kristas Porzingis, Paulo Bancro, Kevin Durant, Pascal Siakam, Aaron Gordon, Jaron Jackson J Vanior, Zion Williamson and many others.
During 2024 he also had games of 19 rebounds against Cleveland, 18 rebounds against Golden State and 15 against Phoenix.
Since the All-Star break, he is averaging 15.7 points, 11.2 rebounds and 5.4 assists per game.
"Do I like playing power forward? No," said the player last month who, according to his good friend Jalen Branson, "never stops complaining for a moment."
Hart added: "Do I like chasing small guards behind blocks? No. But you can't win without making sacrifices. As much as I hate to admit it, if Thibs tells us to do something, I'll try to do it to the best of my ability. But yeah, I'm going To complain, I will always find something to complain about."
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"Some players get into things after they score a shot," he said.
"For me, it's through a move in defense or a rebound, that's how I enter the game. I tore my ass in the last few weeks."
Cleveland coach JB Bickerstaff, who experienced the comfort of Hart's arm last week, claimed: "He is the heart and soul of the Knicks. We tried to take him out of the game, because the whole team draws energy from his moves."
Former Knicks player Greg Anthony Hillel: "He represents what it means to be the ultimate supporting player. He does everything on the floor, gives you everything you need to win games."
The one who returned after an 18-game absence is Anonovi, and with him the Knicks are already 2:13.
In the minutes he is on the floor, New York is outscoring the opposition by 282 points - the highest plus-minus in the history of a player in his first 15 games with a new team.
Hart, by the way, has a seasonal plus-minus of +477 - second only to Branson (+542).
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