PG: The Josh Hart Game

[matchman]

This post game thread is only going to go like 9 pages

Let me try to grind to 10...

[R-DAWG]

we play a lot of b2b's over the next couple weeks...the first half was good mins distribution but the second half a lot of our guys went the whole way.

We gotta pick and choose and trust some more bench in the 2nd leg of the b2b's.

McBride, Shamet and Precious can and should play with other 3 or 4 starters

I will continue to post this on every thread

Precious should move into the starting lineup with Hart coming off the bench to balance the rotation.

Precious should play 25 MPG at the 5 and Towns 23

Towns should play 10 MPG at the 4, Hart 35, and OG the other 3

At SF OG should get 30 MPG and Bridges 18

At SG - Bridges gets 17 MPG and Duce/Shamet split 31

Round out the roster with Brunson playing 34 at point and Payne backing him up for 14

Towns/Precious play together for 10-12 MPG
Bridges/OG are on the court together for 20 MPG

[Spree2Houston]

Suggs is a Thibs type of player. I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s a Knick one day

[Fat Kat]

we play a lot of b2b's over the next couple weeks...the first half was good mins distribution but the second half a lot of our guys went the whole way.

We gotta pick and choose and trust some more bench in the 2nd leg of the b2b's.

McBride, Shamet and Precious can and should play with other 3 or 4 starters

I will continue to post this on every thread

Precious should move into the starting lineup with Hart coming off the bench to balance the rotation.

Precious should play 25 MPG at the 5 and Towns 23

Towns should play 10 MPG at the 4, Hart 35, and OG the other 3

At SF OG should get 30 MPG and Bridges 18

At SG - Bridges gets 17 MPG and Duce/Shamet split 31

Round out the roster with Brunson playing 34 at point and Payne backing him up for 14

Towns/Precious play together for 10-12 MPG
Bridges/OG are on the court together for 20 MPG

[Riot Randolph]

yeah you probably think Lin is better than Brunson!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Better “Pg” yes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Lin would have 15+ assists a game if he had the team Brunson has!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I love Brunson but he is not nor will ever be the level of floor general that Lin was!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

No

Love Brunson but Lin was a better distributor and not even close to…Brunson better scorer but worse distributor

[Riot Randolph]

Well they didn’t have Banchero in that game.

But that’s not our problem

Maybe their crazy ass coach should stop injuring all their players.

The training staff should be fired to be honest, two guys in their early 20s getting the same exact uncommon injury? Somebody has them doing some idiotic stuff while they're working out.

Magic trainer:

tingus pingus sharing the secret sauce

[kNicksGmen]

shamet looked really good. that one drive was impressive. he gives us much needed ball handing off the bench. other than cam - who is a chuck, we don't really have ball handling outside of brunson. mikal is decent at best. hart can do it a bit but not really. mcbride isn't there yet. in thibs offense which is essentially just random offense i think he will be a key guy since he can handle and create. lately in a lot of games our 2nd unit has been the ones to make runs (when brunson and/or Kat were sitting) - so adding another guy to that mix is huge.

[Spree2Houston]

we play a lot of b2b's over the next couple weeks...the first half was good mins distribution but the second half a lot of our guys went the whole way.

We gotta pick and choose and trust some more bench in the 2nd leg of the b2b's.

McBride, Shamet and Precious can and should play with other 3 or 4 starters

I will continue to post this on every thread

Precious should move into the starting lineup with Hart coming off the bench to balance the rotation.

Precious should play 25 MPG at the 5 and Towns 23

Towns should play 10 MPG at the 4, Hart 35, and OG the other 3

At SF OG should get 30 MPG and Bridges 18

At SG - Bridges gets 17 MPG and Duce/Shamet split 31

Round out the roster with Brunson playing 34 at point and Payne backing him up for 14

Towns/Precious play together for 10-12 MPG
Bridges/OG are on the court together for 20 MPG

I agree with your assessment about balancing out the starters but I don’t think we’re going to start Precious or Mitch (when he’s back). This will be our starting 5. I do think Thibs will expand his bench to incorporate Shamet and Mitch, whom will eventually overtake Precious once he’s up to game speed. Our rotation in the 2nd half/going into the playoffs

Brunson/Payne
Hart/Mcbride
Bridges/Shamet
Anunoby/KAT
KAT/Mitch

Majority of the bench mins will go to Mitch and McBride. Payne and Shamet will get 10 mins each depending on matchups.

[stuporman]

past 2 games knicks first gave wemby the open 30 footers knowing he’d take them and now played into the magic not allowing them to shoot threes and by doing that had open space in the mid range game.

thibs half time adjustments have been money this season

Nuh-uh... he has no plans, never has any plans...fans on the internet told me so.

[Chanel Bomber]

It's been said a bunch already in his tenure, but Hart really is a lot like Starks. What I love though is that it isn't a direct comparison between the two and their personalities, primarily because Josh is self-aware that he's playing a John Starks role. Anyone who remembers those 90's Knicks teams well knows that, while Starks was the heart and soul of the team, he was miscast as a #2 and had no guard rails to keep his fiery temper and emotional outbursts under control - he was sort of in new territory and given just enough rope to hang himself at times.

Josh knows Starks, has him as a mentor in the organization, and has an acute understanding of the boundaries of what being the heart and soul of a team means - something that John just didn't have. That role is so much more clearly defined in this day and age, and Hart has refined his own game since coming to NY in pursuit of excelling at it specifically. Hart wearing #3, talking sh*t, playing to the crowd, and doing everything that personifies hustle - and in big spots - while simultaneously knowing when and how to reel it in, calm it down, don't take the shot, make the extra pass, and not feel the burden on his own shoulders, is a beautiful thing.

Since becoming a Knick, Hart's minutes have gone up, but the rate at which he fouls has gone down. The rate of his scoring is not as high as it was earlier in his career, but his asst/TO ratio is the best it's ever been. He's had all 8 of his career triple doubles since becoming a Knick, and he's highly efficient. And he's done it all while diving, shoving, screaming, getting in the opposition's faces, playing to exhaustion, and then finding more to give when it matters most. As someone who grew up loving Starks, watching Hart fill that same space but with more measured control is really satisfying.

As someone who loves Starks and Hart, this resonated with me.

As you said, Hart has a self-awareness that Starks lacked. Starks could get lost in his own head, while Hart is too much of a troll at heart to fall for the game's shenanigans and dynamics.

Hart is one of the smartest players we've had in a long while.

[stuporman]

Mainly bc the Magic at this point are terrible.

You mean the team that has beaten the Celtics and Heat in the past 3 games and lost the other on a last second shot? Hmm...interesting.

Didn’t think this needed to be explained. The Orlando Magic have the 25th ranked offense in the league including their time with their stars being healthy. At this current moment in time they are playing without their two best players and their best player off the bench. They’ve beaten some respectable teams not by their ability to score which is what my point was. Maybe I should’ve said their offense is terrible but when you talk about a team whose current best player is Jalen Suggs then I don’t think it needed to be explained.

Oh, because your inability to clearly articulate yourself you expect others to read your mind and know what you actually meant?

[Deeeez Knicks]

I really like how our team is constructed where we have a clear top 2 guys, then our #3 usually rotates between Mikal, OG, and Hart…..even sometimes others off the bench. This really works out well in todays nba, with salary structures

[Fat Kat]

Read on Twitter

[mpharris36]

I really like how our team is constructed where we have a clear top 2 guys, then our #3 usually rotates between Mikal, OG, and Hart…..even sometimes others off the bench. This really works out well in todays nba, with salary structures

It was a really well put together squad. And they certainly found guys that could manage thibs insane workloads.

Mikal fit this roster to a tee.

[KnixinSix]

It's been said a bunch already in his tenure, but Hart really is a lot like Starks. What I love though is that it isn't a direct comparison between the two and their personalities, primarily because Josh is self-aware that he's playing a John Starks role. Anyone who remembers those 90's Knicks teams well knows that, while Starks was the heart and soul of the team, he was miscast as a #2 and had no guard rails to keep his fiery temper and emotional outbursts under control - he was sort of in new territory and given just enough rope to hang himself at times.

Josh knows Starks, has him as a mentor in the organization, and has an acute understanding of the boundaries of what being the heart and soul of a team means - something that John just didn't have. That role is so much more clearly defined in this day and age, and Hart has refined his own game since coming to NY in pursuit of excelling at it specifically. Hart wearing #3, talking sh*t, playing to the crowd, and doing everything that personifies hustle - and in big spots - while simultaneously knowing when and how to reel it in, calm it down, don't take the shot, make the extra pass, and not feel the burden on his own shoulders, is a beautiful thing.

Since becoming a Knick, Hart's minutes have gone up, but the rate at which he fouls has gone down. The rate of his scoring is not as high as it was earlier in his career, but his asst/TO ratio is the best it's ever been. He's had all 8 of his career triple doubles since becoming a Knick, and he's highly efficient. And he's done it all while diving, shoving, screaming, getting in the opposition's faces, playing to exhaustion, and then finding more to give when it matters most. As someone who grew up loving Starks, watching Hart fill that same space but with more measured control is really satisfying.

As someone who loves Starks and Hart, this resonated with me.

As you said, Hart has a self-awareness that Starks lacked. Starks could get lost in his own head, while Hart is too much of a troll at heart to fall for the game's shenanigans and dynamics.

Hart is one of the smartest players we've had in a long while.

This team has this uncanny knack for a different player to rise up when needed for almost any and all circumstance. Many nights its one of our top two (as it ahould be) KAT or Brunson. But quite often while at least one of them usually star most nights the other guy who rises up has been just about ANY of our others starters.

We have seen Mikal take over games now just like Christmas, we have seen OG , and now in a rough and tumble, dog fight where they were doubling the heck out of and harrasing Brunson (even though he still played well) and KAT couldn't stay out of foul trouble, the situation was screaming for our own junk yard dog to rise up. And he did. This was a Josh Hart type game and he delivered bigtime. He basically said you guys think you can hustle? You guys think you are tough? I'll show you what that really looks like!

So impressed by Josh last night. He is truly the Hart of this team and just has a sense of what role needs to be filled on any given night and goes out and does it.

[FrozenEnvelope]

Def was the Josh Hart game! His motor is just relentless! And dude has a wife and kids! How does he do it? So glad he's on our team! I've said it before he makes me want to join an adults league and play his role of just wrecking ****, rebounding and running up and down the court like a madman!

I love how we are showing we can win with different guys leading the way and different styles too. Mosley def tried to take KAT out of the game and force us to play inside and instead of chucking up 3s we adjusted and took advantage inside. In a long season you're not always going to be on offensively and sometimes teams are going to force you to play a different way and Thibs has done a good job of making these adjustments.

It also helps to have someone like Brunson who has no ego and has an elite basketball IQ. He just knows when he needs to defer and set guys up and when to take over. He's a master of picking his spots. And he's just unguardable in the post!! Hakeem-like footwork and featherly touch!

Loved how Shamet played! Hit a 3, took it strong to the hole, got a steal, defended well, rotated well, hope he can keep this up and help ease some of those minutes! And loved Precious honoring Mutombo (RIP!) with the finger wag!

And lastly, RIP Greg Gumble. A gentleman and great at his job.

[Context]

Handle the wizards to end the year and we only had 2 losses this month Scrappy pistons loss and the stupid hawks loss.

Pistons played great that game

Road Jazz was bad

Hawks a frustrating one

I cant remember the Pistons game but the Jazz and Hawks games- both -had the most length we've seen...We were short handed at that point KG...we'll be better with our expanded rotation and when Mitch comes back vs those types of teams...

[j4remi]

No Recap for this one, but brief thoughts:
- This is another game where KAT had foul trouble, but Precious stepped up enough for the rest of the starters to keep performing (at least in the second-half). It's a good sign.

- The beauty of Mikal, OG, and Hart is that they can each step up under different circumstances. If a team relies too much on switching, OG will find a mismatch to abuse. When they pinch in too much, Mikal has space to hit jumpers or cut to his spots. When a team wants to play physical, Josh Hart is going to feel right at home and usually one-ups them.

- Shamet fits this roster and system like a glove. It showed in the preseason; it looked the same in his rotation debut (garbage time last game doesn't count).

- Deuce's rebounding has become one of my favorite random things to watch. He's been taking notes from Hart, I swear. Lately, once a night, he has bodied somebody out of position to get an offensive board.

- KAT's offensive fouls are his one drawback this season. They're TOs with the bonus of putting him into foul trouble.

- Brunson is still that dude. It feels like he's had more low-scoring nights this season, but they always come with reduced FGA's and increased assists. It's only a result of him knowing that his teammates will pick up his scoring slack when his shot is off and/or defenses are super keyed in on him.

- The random collapses in FT efficiency worry me a little. I'd hate for that to be the deciding factor of a crucial playoff game.

[FrozenEnvelope]

Knicks give up only 31 points in the second half...

Give Thibs his props. It's been a different energy, attention to detail and effort on the defensive end since the Atlanta game.

[KnixinSix]

Def was the Josh Hart game! His motor is just relentless! And dude has a wife and kids! How does he do it? So glad he's on our team! I've said it before he makes me want to join an adults league and play his role of just wrecking ****, rebounding and running up and down the court like a madman!

I love how we are showing we can win with different guys leading the way and different styles too. Mosley def tried to take KAT out of the game and force us to play inside and instead of chucking up 3s we adjusted and took advantage inside. In a long season you're not always going to be on offensively and sometimes teams are going to force you to play a different way and Thibs has done a good job of making these adjustments.

It also helps to have someone like Brunson who has no ego and has an elite basketball IQ. He just knows when he needs to defer and set guys up and when to take over. He's a master of picking his spots. And he's just unguardable in the post!! Hakeem-like footwork and featherly touch!

Loved how Shamet played! Hit a 3, took it strong to the hole, got a steal, defended well, rotated well, hope he can keep this up and help ease some of those minutes! And loved Precious honoring Mutombo (RIP!) with the finger wag!

And lastly, RIP Greg Gumble. A gentleman and great at his job.

Agreed on all points. I think The elite rim protector will be the final piece for this team.

KAT at the 5 is vital.So they're not playing next to each other so much. However it is correct that KAT is in foul trouble sometimes so bringing Mitch's interior D, rim protection and rebounding in in those spots can be a real help and alleviate some of KATs weaknesses. All that said, I'd be fine and not surprised if they dealt for a similar type backup big like Nick Richards.