Getty Josh Hart exiting the floor after Game 7 against the Indiana Pacers.
For the New York Knicks, few players competed harder than Josh Hart this postseason. He’s climbed the all-time list of fan favorites, and continues to embody the team’s new identity.
You’d be hard pressed to find a Knicks fan that dislikes Hart, which is rare, given the opinionated nature of the blue and orange faithful.
He saluted the team and the fanbase in an end of season Instagram post on May 21.
“Home is where the Heart is,” Hart captioned the photo. “I gave you all I had this season, thank you for embracing me through the ups and down. Here[‘s] to what we are building.”
The team’s 2023-2024 run came to an end against the Indiana Pacers in Game 7. Hart finished the 2024 playoffs averaging 14.5 points, 11.5 rebounds, 4.5 assists, and 1.0 steals.
Now, he and the Knicks head into an offseason to regroup ahead of another, deeper, Eastern Conference playoffs run in 2025.
Hart on New York Fans: ‘They’ve Embraced Me’
Hart told reporters after the Game 7 loss that he feels like he’s found a home in New York, after receiving a standing ovation when he checked out of the game.
Josh Hart on the Knicks fans’ appreciation after he was subbed out in Game 7:
“It was my fourth team, sixth coach. I wanted a home. I gotta thank the fans for embracing me. I’m not perfect. There’s a lot of ups and downs with Josh Hart. They’ve embraced me”
“I came here last year, I think it was my fourth team, like my sixth coach, fourth franchise,” Hart told SNY on May 19. “I wanted a home. Obviously the front office believed in me and gave me a contract. Thibs played me. The city embraced me. For me, that means a lot. Only way I can repay them is just continue to put my body on the line, give everything I have, and leave my heart on that court. I feel like I did that this year.”
Hart toughed through an abdominal strain and played in Game 7, but was noticeably in pain, stiff, and ultimately not himself.
He finished Game 7 with 10 points, 8 rebounds, 5 assists, and 2 steals on 3-of-9 shooting.
Still, he received a standing ovation from a fanbase that acknowledges what he put in the middle. And he thanks them for it.
“I gotta thank the fans for just embracing me,” Hart continued. “I’m not perfect. There’s a lot of ups and downs, with Josh Hart. But they embraced me, and they showed me love this whole time.”
Hart finished the regular season averaging 9.4 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 4.1 assists in 81 appearances for the Knicks.
Per Stathead, only six other players reached those numbers in at least 65 games played. Among them, former MVP’s Giannis Antetokounmpo and Nikola Jokic.
That’s good company to keep.
Miles McBride Sounds Off on Instagram
Hart isn’t the only New York player sending messages on Instagram.
Backup guard Miles McBride followed suit on May 21, posting an end-of-season collage in reflection of year three.
“Grew a lot in Year 3, but only the Beginning,” McBride captioned the post.
As he alludes to, year three was pivotal for the 23-year old’s future.
He played more minutes in 2023-2024 than in his first two seasons combined.
And following the OG Anunoby trade, which sent Immanuel Quickley and RJ Barrett to the Toronto Raptors, McBride inked a three-year, $13-million extension with the Knicks.
He finished the year averaging 8.3 points on 41-percent shooting from three. McBride’s time in New York is indeed just beginning.