Knicks Nation Podcast
The Heart of the Team: Josh Hart's Vital Role for the Knicks | Player Preview
(upbeat music) - Basketball. (upbeat music) - You're listening to the Nick's Nation podcast. - Where we've got all your Nick's needs covered. Now, live from the city that never sleeps. - Here are your hosts, Anthony and Chris. - We are back for another Nick's player preview of the 2024-2025 season. Once again, we appreciate every single one of you tuning into these previews and also tuning into the Nick's Nation YouTube channel. One player equals one video and we have Josh Hart. Repeating Josh Hart, Chris and Josh Hart, boy, oh boy. The Hart and soul, literally his name of the New York. Nick's, what will we do without this man? - Josh Hart, I'm excited to talk about. Josh Hart, to start the 2025 season. - Yeah, yeah. What can you say about Josh Hart that hasn't been said, man? It just pure hustle, grit does all the gritty stuff, right? Just hustle and heart, man. I hate to keep saying heart, but that's all it is, man, when it comes to Josh Hart. Definitely one of my favorite players. - Yeah, man, I didn't know what we were getting when we traded for Josh Hart. That's dope. (laughing) That's dope. - Those of you listening to a holdup of Josh Hart poster, I had a Brunson Josh Hart. I even got a Dante dude in terms of a poster. - Hey, man, you gotta put those up. - Yeah, that just don't have enough space for all of them. (laughing) - Send one out here. Send one out here, I'll put it out. - Well, my wife gifted them to me. - I can't, I can't. (laughing) - I'm sorry to cut you off, but yeah, man, Josh Hart. - He's been incredible for us. Ever since he's stepped foot in a Knicks uniform, he has been simply amazing. And not only defensively, man, he's hit some crazy tough shots, man. That's one of series, that's one of huge games. I mean, what else can I say about the man? He's just, I can't believe the trailblazers just basically gave him to us. - They did, and I remember that day like it was yesterday, man. You know, rewind it a little bit. When the New York Knicks acquired Josh Hart, member Chris, he was shooting lights out. Deppic he shot 50% from three, 25 or 50 from downtown. Something insane. I mean, it was unsustainable as we all know. Last season was a down season in terms of shooting the ball for Josh Hart, but kind of more of the same from, you know, his career. He's not really a good outside shooter, but like Chris stated, he hits the shots when they count the most. I mean, 76 or series, Chris, dare I say, he won us that series down in Philadelphia, hit that big three, ice in his veins. Cleveland game one, two years ago, hits a big shot, wins us that game. The game versus Miami where Jim Brunson didn't pass him the ball. And Brunson said that that bothered him all summer. He probably would have made that shot. And we probably would have been going to a game seven. And Madison Square Garden. Why did I just get annoyed by just saying that? You know what, because now, you know, after that point, you know, after that moment, obviously Jalen Brunson had a chance to pass it out. Didn't, we all know what happened. But seeing the clutch shots he has hit, you know, just after that fact, just makes you wonder, man, if that ball got to Josh Hart, he was going to drain it, man, because that seems to be the prototypical, you know, three point attempt he's going to get that he shouldn't make, but seems to always make. It's nuts. Do you think, you know, they say players are clutch and some have the clutch gene, some don't? I'm saying Josh Hart has that clutch gene, man. Because he can break five threes in a row and come fourth quarter with the game on the line. He's probably going to hit that one three-pointer, which will be the biggest one of them all. And that's what he's been proving, man. That's what he's been proving on this Nick squad. Yeah, and he, yeah, he's a clutch player. And the next, first of all, he, I would call him Mr. Iron Man too, because there were times last season when he was hurt and he would gut it through. And there was times where he just stepped up. Remember, O'Jannen Obie was hurt last season. Josh Hart would just step up in the starting lineup and do way more than what was expected from him. You know, a lot of, a lot of us forget that he's supposed to be coming off the bench. And it's kind of like he's been put in the starting row because of all of these injuries and that happens in an NBA season. Their ability has been an issue for the New York Knicks now. But Josh Hart has been, when his name is called, he has elite rebounding skills. It's like 95 percentile at his position last season. 20% of opponents misses. He's getting, that's 98 percentile. Elite offensive rebounding skills, 4% of the time. He's grabbing offensive rebounds. And he's just, he's one of those players that every team in the NBA wants to have. And it kind of, like, it kind of bogs my mind that he's kind of bounced around a lot. In the NBA, you know, pelicans, Lakers, Knicks. Probably forgetting another team, but. - Lynn. - Yeah, so he's just that guy that every team wants and every team needs. And he's shown his value in the playoffs. You know, so. - I mean, I'm pretty sure the Lakers are kicking themselves for letting go of not only Josh Hart, but Julius Randall. If you want to throw Brandon Ingram in there as well. You know, but Josh Hart, man, he's, like you said, he's a guy that you want to have on your team. He's like the glue guy, basically. He's the glue guy, you know? And again, and I think it's a point that we need to make is Josh Hart was brought to the Knicks with all intentions to come off the bench. Instead, injuries happen, you know, we lose players left and right, he gets. Dressed it into the power forward spot, you know? Starting power forward spot and holds his own, you know, against guy like Pascal Siakum, you know, bigger, just bigger guys in general. And he's out there just getting stops, getting offensive boards, just like, like clockwork, man. He's a warrior. He is a warrior. - Yeah. He's a super warrior, heart and soul. So 2024, 2025, Chris, obviously in a perfect world, we've been kind of talking in a perfect world for these player previews. Josh Hart is going to be coming off the bench alongside Dante DiVincenzo to Smith-Bride, Precious. So, you know, like you said, he has, you know, guarding a Pascal Siakum, guarding, he has that in him. Now, size, you know, he's about six, six. So the Knicks asked a lot from him, man. I mean, there were times like, he wasn't coming off the court. Like, you remember there in the playoff series? I think he was playing 48 minutes. And like, if I finally caught up to him when he got that abdominal strain and, you know, obviously that's asking a ton from the player, circumstances with the dirt, with the injuries, with the New York Knicks, with dealing with it, I'm hoping for different circumstances this season. Obviously, we're hoping for different circumstances. But what do you sort of see his role as coming into the 2024-25 season? Now that he's gonna be on the bench with Dante, who he was on the bench with the beginning of last season. And I think that's, you know, that's Josh Hart's role, you know, is the bench. And I'm hoping that he stays on the bench this year because I want the New York Knicks to be healthy. But I feel like he excels in that role tremendously. So, what do you expect from him this coming season? You expect anything differently? Well, you know, he's mentioned already a few times whether you listen to the roommate's pod or not, or, you know, just in interviews here and there that he's working on his shot. He knows that he's gonna get the opportunity to shoot the ball when he's out there on the court 'cause they want anybody else to shoot the ball, you know, pretty much. So he's gonna get those opportunities and he made it known that he's working on that. The defense will be there, the hustle will be there. And there I say, it might be even better, man. 'Cause now you have a Josh Hart who's not planning to play 40 plus minutes over the entire game. You got a Josh Hart that maybe is gonna play 20, 25 minutes, you know, probably at the most crucial times, he'll probably be a closer, you know, somebody out there when tips need to stop late or just wants somebody with high IQ out there, he'll be in those types of positions. And I think you'll just get flat out pure energy from Josh Hart. Flat out energy and hustle. And since he won't have to do it for 40 minutes a night, you know, he's just gonna be running out there like a mad man in my opinion. - Yeah, I think you mentioned the closing lineup. So I don't really know, because now you bring a McKell, right? - Yeah. - And Josh Hart and McKell actually have, the funny thing in college, they did not get along at all. They, I think McKell told her story that Josh Hart and him got into it and practiced and it speak for weeks. And then that ultimately brought their bond closer. So I think Josh Hart and McKell, chemistry wise, it's gonna be interesting to see the different linements with McKell bridges. Josh Hart, different lineups with Dante. And like you said, he was working on his shot because last season it was struggle, you know, shooting the ball for Josh Hart. I remember, you know, certain games in the playoffs where game one in particular, Chris, I keep going back to it. He was like the first three quarters versus the Philadelphia 76ers in round one. He wasn't playing, like two and a half quarters, he wasn't playing well. Then third quarter, fourth quarter, hit the switch. And like going back to the clutch gene, but you know, I'm interested to see him with McKell more, not more, but like I'm interested to see that new tinker lineup with the New York Knicks. And it's funny, I'm just looking at his playoff minutes. And in 2022, 2023, he averaged 32 minutes a game. Last season he averaged 42 minutes a game in the playoffs. It's just to shows you how banged up the New York Knicks have been and how much they relied on Josh Hart. So like Chris was saying, he needs to be in his role, you know, even though he excels really well with the starting lineup alongside Brunson. And now with, there's gonna be Linus with him at McKell. He needs to be on the bench excelling in that role because I think the bench needs that spark, you know, especially now with Hart and Stein missing. And I feel like the bench needs Hart on that bench. They kind of like solidified things because now it's new with Dante on there. So they need Hart on the bench. - Yeah, stay healthy. - And that ultimately, I feel like again, that's what we were missing last season. You know, it was Dante and Josh Hart playing out. I guess you could say out of position for the most part because these guys were brought in to be bench pieces, right? - Yeah. - But yeah, I think you're absolutely right when it comes to Josh Hart. You know, we need that energy off the bench and that's what we're gonna get, man. It's gonna be, it's gonna be great. - For sure. So yeah, rebounding, rebounding, rebounding, rebounding. He hunts rebounds, he demoralizes teams. That's his strength, pushes the pace and can hit clutch shots as we've seen in the past. And I have this funky little reference. He's like the catch up with the fries. You just need to have it. He's like the cheese on the burger. Just right, you know? You don't wanna have, me personally, I like cheeseburgers. So I don't like a plain burger. Josh Hart's like the cheese, you know? Just makes it, gives you that little bit, you know? - You don't know what I was saying, right? It just feels right, right? Tastes good. I don't want that to come out the road. (laughing) - Hopefully you guys get what I'm trying to say. That's, he's like the salt, he's the salt and pepper. Josh Hart, he's just that little, you know, you guys know what I'm trying to say. - Salt and pepper goes with everything, right? - Yeah, and that's mainly been Josh Hart. And like I said earlier, I'm surprised he's bounced around a little bit. But you know, his contract is obviously the next extend to him last year. Still on a fairly good contract. I think he has like three years left on his contract. But, you know, Chris, not let the Villanova guys are here, right? Brunson, Dante, Michael, Hart. Crazy questions out of all the Villanova guys. Who do you think the most likely is to get traded? - Ooh. - The reason why I'm asking that is because we're talking about a Josh Hart. - Yeah, I'm actually- - And he's been traded a lot in his career. I'm not saying like it's just- - It's having fun here, you know. - I feel like old, I have two scenarios. But the most realistic one I could think of is probably, you know, obviously Josh Hart being traded. Simply because with Ojan and Obie and Michael Bridges, the defense should be fine, right? Defensively, things should be fine. And obviously, they're better players offensively than Josh Hart at this point in time. So that's what makes sense to me. What if I told you, what if things don't work out this season, do they pivot from Michael Bridges and try to flip them? - No, I think they would trade either, they would try to trade Josh Hart or Dante. I think Dante would be kind of that guy that, you know, he's on a better contract than Josh Hart. I mean, Josh Hart this year, 18 million, next year, 19 million, 20, 26, 20 million. Then he has a club option, only 12% of the cap not worried about it. But we're not calling for anything like a trade or anything. We're just talking right now. It would be Josh Hart or Dante because their contracts, probably maybe Dante. But obviously that's not the goal is to break them up because we want to see them together and they've won national championships together. I do kind of see a world where, you know, players get frustrated, right? And you have got all these guys on the bench and health is a major factor for the New York Knicks. But if everyone's healthy, like, I do see a world where some players get frustrated with their roles, with their minutes. So I'm not hoping for that. I mean, these, but at the end of the day, that's where the friendship comes into play. I mean, that's where the Villanova crew comes into play. They have a brothership bond for a reason. They're not gonna pout, they're not gonna care about minutes, their one goal is to win an NBA championship. So... - And more importantly, I think, you know, they're not gonna sugarcoat things. You know, so when things are tough and they're when they're frustrated, they're gonna air it out, they're gonna resolve it and they're gonna get past it. So I'm sure they'll be fine. You know, obviously we're just spitballing a little bit. We're gonna have hypotheticals. You know, we don't want these guys to go anywhere. You know, these guys... Hopefully are here to stay for the long run and then some. - Josh Hart is gonna be a major piece for us. I mean, we've been saying that, like, for seems like everybody. Mitch Robinson is gonna be a major piece. Josh Hart's gonna be a big piece. Everyone is gonna be a team effort. And I just want Josh Hart's role to be on that bench where he, I'm not gonna say belongs because he deserves to be a starter in this league, but he will get our bench going in a certain situation. He pushes the pace, he runs fast breaks. He dies for loose balls. He's like the junkyard dog. That's Josh Hart. You know, junkyard dog. Who was the, like, you remember the player, the nickname that they were calling the junkyard dog for the Knicks, like 10, 15 years ago? Forgot his name. - I know, I'm not gonna lie. - Forgot his name. But he was that guy diving for loose balls and I used to call him the junkyard dog and Knicks fans used to call him the junkyard dog. But yeah, I just want Josh Hart to sustain that role and we will have a good year if we can accomplish that. - Jerome Williams. - There you go. - Just looked it up. (laughs) - Jerome Williams, another junkyard dog. - Junkyard dog. But yeah, yeah, that fits Josh Hart to a team, you know. He's, and like you mentioned, we've been saying how critical every player is so far and these previews are. And it's simply because it's the truth, man. This is not your prototypical team where you sign, you know, two all-stars or three all-stars and you just fill in the rest with just, you know, journeymen and veterans that are chasing rings, you know? - Yeah. - This is a team that has been, you know, put together with very specific pieces, man. Very specific pieces. And, you know, they're all important parts of the puzzle. And when they come together, it's gonna be greatness, you know? Last year, we got a glimpse of it. Some of the puzzle pieces obviously got lost, but this season, like you said, health is wealth. And if we can stay healthy, you know, we're in for a hell of a season. We're in for one crazy season. And I think, look, the nicks are gonna be contenders. The goal is a championship, but I see us getting, you know? I could see us getting to the finals, man. - So can I. I mean, I can totally see it. And it's time for the NBA world to start looking. I know a lot of media, they're saying our whole is the center position, but I feel like, you know, the New York News will overcome that. And I feel like we can't get to the finals, but it's going to be a long, grindy road. And, you know, we're built for it. I found it interesting that one of the, one of the next best lineups, Chris, that Josh Hart was a part of, involved Jericho Sims and Precious Atchua. They had 115 possessions together. Sims was playing the center at Chua, Power Forward, Hart, Small Forward, Dante, and Jalen Brunson. Obviously a lot of these, you're gonna see a lot of these funky lineups come up in these, you know, player profile, but Jericho Sims has been another, you know, hot name, not not hot name, but intriguing name coming into the season. And, you know, found it interesting. It's like Josh Hart can work with, that's another thing is where I'm getting at. He can like mesh well with anybody, you know, that's where I'm trying to get at. And that's why, you know, when he went down ultimately versus Indiana Pacers, try to iron man it out, you know, play that game seven along with Ann and Obie, but at the end of the day, you know, we need him. - Yeah, you know, we don't say he's the heart and soul for no reason, right? We needed him out there. He gave, you know, all the credit to it, man. You know, anybody suffers the same injury, they're not stepping a foot in the arena, basically. - Yep. - But, you know, credit to Josh Hart, man. He's a iron man, you know. Again, we're saying we want guys to be healthy, but you got to feel good when you got Josh Hart and you could throw Michael Bridges in there with these are guys that just seem to get banged up, play through everything, you know. - Yeah. - So hopefully these guys stay healthy. And especially Josh Hart. I see great things coming from him. Again, I think not playing as many minutes is going to be fantastic for him. I think he's going to be energized. Then when he gets on that court, man, I just feel like, you know, instead of having to pace himself, he's just going to go all out, you know, 20, 25 minutes a game. So it's going to be fun to watch, man. - Yes, sir. My bold prediction for Josh Hart. So I feel like he can get his shot back. I feel like Josh Hart can increase his three point percentage a little bit like Chris said he's been working on his shot even though throughout his career, it's kind of not been his strength. But if Josh Hart can get his numbers, not back to when we first acquired him, the 50%, which is an outlier. I'm not even saying 40%, you know, 36, 37%. I feel like it'll be a good year for Josh Hart. And more of what we've been seeing from Josh Hart, honestly, Hart and Sol of the team, he's the oil in the engine. That's what he is. If you were constructing a player in a lab for Tom Thibodeau, I've said this before, his name would be Josh Hart. If you were constructing a player in a lab, Josh Hart would be that player you would construct, so. - I agree a thousand percent. And you know what? My bold prediction for Josh Hart is he's going to make up for the loss of Isaiah Hartenstein on the boards. Offensive boards and defensive boards. He's just going to be that guy to come in. Like I said, high energy, and he's just going to crash the glass at all times. So that's my bold prediction. He's going to make the loss of my heart just a little less, you know, it's going to sting a little less. There we have it, another player prediction in the books. Appreciate every single one of you tuning in, smash the subscribe button if you haven't done so already. In case you missed it, we're doing player projections for every single player for the New York Knicks. And if you want to catch our latest projection, just hit this square right here. Damn it. And there you have it. I'm Anthony from Next Nation. Appreciate every single one of you. - My name is Chris. - We'll catch you guys next time. - Please. - Peace. - Thanks for listening. - Please hit that follow button to stay updated with our latest episodes. And we also greatly appreciate those five-star reviews. For you video enthusiasts out there, head over to our YouTube channel to catch the podcast in video form, youtube.com/nixnation. You'll find all the relevant links conveniently listed in the show notes below. See you next time. (cheering) (upbeat music) (audience cheering)