“If His Leg Is Not Falling Off”: Jalen Brunson And Isaiah Hartenstein Spill On Josh Hart’s Potential Availability For Game 7

The New York Knicks have had to deal with a slew of injuries – Julius Randle, Bojan Bogdanovic, Mitchell Robinson, and OG Anunoby. So, Jalen Brunson and co. understandably didn’t seem too adversely affected when Josh Hart exited Game 6 due to abdominal soreness. In fact, despite the potential severity of the injuries, his teammates are already confident about a return in Game 7.

Tom Thibodeau was the first one to give an update on Hart’s injury. Immediately after the first quarter ended, Coach Thibs said, “He’s a tough guy. He’ll get through it.”

Even the players decided to showcase the same level of optimism. Following the contest, the likes of Jalen Brunson, Isaiah Hartenstein, and Miles McBride were asked to comment on the injury. All of them lauded Josh for being a fighter and claiming that the latter would go to any means possible to suit up for the do-or-die Game 7.

Jalen Brunson: “I would assume he’s playing. It’s Game 7.”

Isaiah Hartenstein: “Just knowing him, he’ll do whatever to play. If his leg’s not falling off… he’ll probably play.”

Miles McBride: “He seems like he’s feeling better now. I’m not sure about the whole situation.”

During the first quarter of the New York Knicks-Indiana Pacers encounter, Josh Hart seemed to have taken an elbow to his abdominal region while battling for a rebound with Pascal Siakam.

Apart from holding the injured area, Hart frequently made trips to the bench. Given that the 29-year-old played almost 43 minutes per game during the postseason, his constant trips to the bench made it abundantly obvious that the former Villanova Wildcat was in serious pain at the time.

With a chance to clinch the series, the 6ft 4” player gave it his all. But, after sustaining yet another fall early in the third quarter, Hart checked himself out of the contest. The defensive specialist swingman did return to the floor for a brief moment, but eventually called it a night after playing merely 2:07 minutes in the closing frame. In the end, Hart recorded just 5 points and 8 rebounds in almost 31 minutes.

Josh Hart contributes largely by being available on a nightly basis. Apart from being healthy enough to play all 82 games of the regular season, he also played the entirety of 4 different contests in the postseason.

Tom Thibodeau is often criticized for his poor rotation management and blamed for the multiple season-ending injuries sustained by his players. However, Hart has always stood up for the Knicks head coach.

The New York Knicks are already severely shorthanded. If they were to play without Josh Hart, their chances of winning Game 7 would decrease tremendously. But knowing the importance of the situation, Hart’s teammates are confident that he would be ready for Sunday.