In the final minutes of the Christmas Day game against the San Antonio Spurs, Josh Hart emerged as the hero yet again. The 29-year-old helped the New York Knicks keep possession of the ball, which led to a three-point win for the home side. Former NBA star Antonio Daniels was highly impressed by how Hart grabbed two offensive rebounds to extend the Knicks’ final possession to 38 seconds and ran out the clock.
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Daniels, while heaping praise on Hart’s mentality, said that the 29-year-old has a “motor” every time he comes into a game. And he is not going to stop until he gets the job done. From grabbing offensive rebounds to pushing the ball in transition, the shooting guard understands his role very well.
Daniels believes that even though Jalen Brunson is the star player on the Knicks roster, Hart sees himself as a star within his role.
“If more players thought this way, more teams would be successful. What you do with your body starts with your mind. The thing I love about Josh Hart is whether he was in LA, or he was in New Orleans, or whether he was in Portland…and now in New York, he is a star within his role,” added Daniels on SiriusXM NBA Radio.
“If more players [had Josh Hart’s mentality], more teams would be successful.”@adaniels33 tells @WorldWideWob Josh Hart’s heroics in the final seconds against the Spurs last night show you everything you need to know about him as a player. pic.twitter.com/ovsdF6BrRO
— SiriusXM NBA Radio (@SiriusXMNBA) December 26, 2024
Even though other teams are aware of his game plan, they’re unable to stop him, observed Daniels. And, through the way he goest about performing his job game in game out, Hart has made a huge difference for the Knicks.
Hart is arguably the most important player for the Knicks
While it may not be as clear by just looking at the score sheet, it is almost guaranteed that if Hart plays well, the Knicks will win. Similar to what he did against the Spurs, Hart does many things that don’t show up on a regular stat sheet.
In 29 games this season, he has recovered 48% of loose balls on offense and 52% on the defensive end. He is averaging 1.8 screen assists and 4.1 screen assist points per game.
After the win against the Spurs, Hart shared how he is always focused on the job he is assigned to do.
“That possession is the definition of my job and why I’m here: to make those energy, extra effort plays. I think I did a tweet yesterday, someone said something about (scoring) 30 points and I just said, ‘Hey, bro, that’s not my job [laughs]. Plays like that, that’s my job,” said Hart.
The Knicks will play the Orlando Magic tomorrow in an away game where Hart, in all likelihood, will continue doing what he does best.
