CHICAGO — Maybe it’s not the centers who have the steepest learning curve under new head coach Mike Brown.
Maybe it’s Josh Hart — the player being asked to sacrifice more than anyone else in Year 1 of the new regime in New York.
Hart is coming off a career year, one where he led the NBA in minutes per game and started all 77 appearances under Tom Thibodeau.
Now? His world looks different. His minutes have dipped from a league-leading 37.6 to the mid-to-high 20s. His starting spot — once a badge of honor — has been replaced by a defined role anchoring the second unit.
This is life under Brown. And while Hart remains a vital piece for a Knicks team with championship ambitions, his transition has been as complex as anyone’s. Karl-Anthony Towns and Guerschon Yabusele are still mastering responsibilities across multiple positions, but Hart — the team’s Swiss Army knife — is adjusting to the rare paradox of being asked to do less and more at the same time.
“I feel like I’ve got the biggest adjustment out of the whole team. Just in terms of role, starting not starting, how the minutes are gonna be, and I’ve obviously talked to Mike about how the minutes are gonna go, and I’ve gotta know every position,” Hart said after morning shootaround at the United Center on Friday. “There’s gonna be times where I’m bringing the ball up, times when I’m the five and times where I’m the four, so I literally have to know every play from every different position.
“And it’s one thing to know it in practice and go through it, but when it’s game pace, that’s the real test to it. So I’m still figuring that stuff out, and it’s an adjustment, but this is my seventh coach. So I’ve had a lot of adjusting to do in my career, so should be solid.”
It’s an ego check for the Knicks’ do-it-all forward. All 15 of Hart’s career triple-doubles came during an elevated role under Thibodeau. Entering training camp, he believed he had earned the right to be a starter and viewed himself that way. But when the Knicks fell into an 0–2 hole against the Indiana Pacers in the Eastern Conference Finals, Thibodeau benched him for Mitchell Robinson. Brown has continued that rotation pattern.
Hart says he’s willing to sacrifice both minutes and status for the good of the team — but that doesn’t mean it’s easy.
“I think throughout the season it’ll be a battle of kind of fighting the egotistical view of it,” he said. “I think I did have a good year last year, and with a different role, now it’s totally different. I think the biggest thing, I’ve had to sacrifice my whole career.
“So it’s never like, OK cool and it’s seamless. There’s going to be days where I’m just like, ‘Man, that’s some bull.’ You know what I mean? But it’ll be a constant thing of fighting that, but making sure I know that this is what’s best for the team and locking in on that.”
The injuries don’t make it any easier. They’ve complicated the transition from full-time starter to bench cornerstone. Hart underwent surgery on his right ring finger, aggravated it during the offseason, and entered training camp resigned to wearing a splint all year. Then came lower-back spasms during the preseason opener — an injury that cost him critical training-camp time, four of five exhibition games, and the season opener against Cleveland.
Hart says he’s at peace with his new role — and with the consistency that comes with it. While Brown has started Ariel Hukporti, Landry Shamet and Miles McBride in different configurations, Hart knows where he stands. That stability matters more to him than spot starts.
“I’m cool not starting. That’s what I want to do for this season,” he said. “For me there’s a different way to approach it mentally. Obviously when you have guys that are questionable and they’re a game-time decision, and now my role might be different, and I don’t know what my role is until an hour on the clock or 35 minutes on the clock.
“So it’s one of those things where like, if I’m not going to start, totally cool with it. But I don’t want to be like the next starter up because then everything is varying by game. I just want more of a consistent role and thought process so I can just perfect that role.”
And then there’s the jump shot. Hart’s three-pointer has deserted him before — and it’s been shaky again to start this season, especially for a Knicks team among the league leaders in attempts per game. Hart insists the problem isn’t his finger but the conditioning lost to his back injury. He was 1-for-9 from deep entering Friday’s matchup against the Bulls.
“For me I knew it would take a little bit of time. Normally you’ve got the preseason to kind of get the wind under you,” he said. “So I knew it was gonna take a minute to get back in shape and get my legs under me and be confident in some of those shots. So I figured I’d give myself a week, week and a half of grace before I get too frustrated with myself.”
Of course, Hart doesn’t need the three to make an impact. He affects the game in other ways — rebounding, playmaking, tempo. And while fans may be up in arms over his slow shooting start, there are no doubts inside the locker room about the connective tissue of a roster trying to raise its ceiling to championship heights.
“Continue to focus on what he does best. One thing he does: When he’s locked in, and he’s working on everything, and he’s focused, it’s a different Josh and you’ve seen it,” said team captain Jalen Brunson. “When we get back to that, it’s just not listen to the outside noise. The fans are talking or whatever, and it’s impossible not to see it, but who gives a crap? People are gonna say what they want to say regardless of we’re playing well or not.
“You don’t know what their motives are, whether it’s betting-based or whatever, you’re gonna see all that stuff, but Josh, as long as he continues to focus on him and focus on how he can help this team, we’re perfectly gonna be fine and he’s gonna be fine because he knows how to play winning basketball.”
