The presence of Josh Hart in the Big Apple has many New York Knicks fans excited about what this team can accomplish as they look to attain a 2023 postseason berth, but, for Zach Lowe of the Lowe Post Podcast, his attention has recently been focused on the long-term impact that the wing’s addition could have on the core’s identity moving forward.
In a February 14 episode, the ESPN pundit discussed the recent transaction between the Knicks and the Blazers and suggested that the acquisition of Hart could prove to be about more than just bolstering the team’s wing depth, as he went as far as to suggest that it could be a warning to current players on the rotation, most notably their newly minted $120 million man, RJ Barrett.
“When is it time to start thinking about ‘ok, so what exactly is this guy that we just paid all this money to?’… It’s clear now that (the Knicks) traded for Josh Hart as a message to (Quentin) Grimes, to Barrett, to maybe (Obi) Toppin, to whoever else, like, ‘dude, if you’re not playing well, we got another guy who can come in and close games for us,’ and I’m just looking at RJ Barrett (and) I’m like, I don’t know what his job is with (Julius) Randle and (Jalen) Brunson dominating the ball. He’s a good secondary ball handler, he does all that stuff pretty well, maybe he can beat up a mismatch now and then but, like, at some point he’s got to start making more shots, and this Josh Hart trade is not aimed at him necessarily but has already begun to affect his minutes, which, already, Grimes was chipping away at in crunch time,” Lowe said.
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Despite all the hype surrounding Barrett heading into his, now, fourth season with the Knicks, it’s evident that he has not progressed at the rate that a player of his draft status should.
Though he’s sporting impressive on-paper averages of 19.8 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 2.8 assists per game, he’s doing so whilst shooting a mediocre 42.9% from the floor and 33.0% from deep and boasts a putrid box plus-minus rating of -3.0.
While only being a two-game sample size, since the arrival of Hart Barrett has seen his struggles reach a new low, as he’s averaging just 12.0 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 1.5 assists on 34.8% shooting from the floor and 22.2% shooting from distance.
As we saw this past summer, the former lottery pick isn’t immune to being included in trade rumblings and, should his level of play remain the same or dip even further during these final months of this year’s campaign, he could once again find his name being floated around the rumor mill and, with Josh Hart now in New York, one could argue they’re now in a better position to do so than they were last offseason.
Hart Showing Out for Knicks
RJ Barrett may find himself slumping since New York executed their pre-deadline deal, but their prized acquisition in Josh Hart has been absolutely on fire since the move.
Since putting on the orange and blue threads in a home tilt against the Utah Jazz on February 11, the 27-year-old has managed to capture the hearts of Knicks fans with his production and high-end energy.
Josh Hart provided the @nyknicks with a scoring spark off the bench with 27 PTS and 4 3PM in the win!
Hart has already proven to be a tremendous asset within Tom Thibodeau’s rotation, and is currently posting stellar averages of 19.0 points, 5.5 rebounds, 3.0 assists, and 2.5 steals per game on 65.0% shooting from the floor and 66.7% shooting from distance while also boasting a defensive rating of 108 and a defensive box plus-minus of 5.4, both team-highs.
Earlier on in the season, an anonymous NBA executive informed Heavy Sports’ NBA Insider that a player like Hart could prove to be an ideal running mate for the likes of RJ Barrett, citing his two-way abilities and off-ball skillset as a major reason why.
However, through these early stages of his Knicks tenure, ESPN’s Zach Lowe ironically seems to believe that the wing isn’t necessarily an ideal partner for the third overall pick from the 2020 draft but, rather, a possible replacement.
Knicks Center Still Not Cleared for Contact
Starting big man Mitchell Robinson has been out since January 18 with a fractured right thumb and, though initial reports suggested he could return in as soon as three weeks following the injury, SNY’s Ian Begley reported on February 13 that his rehabilitation process is expected to linger on through the 2023 NBA All-Star break.
“Mitchell Robinson hasn’t been cleared for contact yet. But he’s making progress. Robinson was on court with Othella Harrington a few minutes ago working out. Knicks will send people with Robinson during the All Star break if he doesn’t stay in NY during break to continue rehab,” Begley tweeted.
Mitchell Robinson hasn’t been cleared for contact yet. But he’s making progress. Robinson was on court with Othella Harrington a few minutes ago working out. Knicks will send people with Robinson during the All Star break if he doesn’t stay in NY during break to continue rehab.
Prior to his injury, Robinson was finding himself amid a solid season with the Knicks, as he was posting impressive per-game averages of 7.2 points, 8.9 rebounds, and 1.8 blocks on 67.4% shooting from the field and boasted a team-best defensive box plus-minus rating of 1.6.
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Josh Hart Trade Could Spell Trouble for Knicks Star: Analyst