The New York Knicks are hitting their stride under head coach Mike Brown, having won 11 of their past 14 games. That includes the current four-game winning streak, during which time fan favorite Josh Hart has returned to the starting lineup and begun playing eerily similar minutes to what he was tasked with in 2025-26.
Tom Thibodeau was consistently criticized for starting Hart over potential rim protecting options and handing him a high volume of minutes, but Brown seems to be agreeing with his logic.
Hart was moved to the bench at the start of the 2025-26 season and acted as New York's sixth man through his first 14 games played. With New York at a somewhat underwhelming 9-6, and Mitchell Robinson due to miss the Nov. 24 encounter with the Brooklyn Nets, Brown pulled a page out of Thibodeau's book.
Hart [made his first start](https://dailyknicks.com/josh-hart-key-knicks-lineup-questions-trade-season) of the season in a 113-100 victory over the Nets that saw the Knicks allow their fewest points in six games.
Hart certainly delivered individually, posting seven points, 12 rebounds, seven assists, two offensive boards, two blocks, and a pair of steals. He did so while playing 38 minutes in the type of showing that Knicks fans became accustomed to seeing when Thibodeau was at the helm.
Robinson has been active ever since, but Hart continues to start, play significant minutes, and show just how valuable he is alongside the Knicks' other core members.
Josh Hart starting, playing big minutes again—and Knicks are winning
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Hart played 34 minutes in a 129-101 decimation of the Charlotte Hornets in his second start of the season. He finished with 22 points, eight rebounds, seven assists, and three steals on 8-of-13 shooting from the field and a 4-of-6 mark from beyond the arc.
Hart then played 40 minutes in a 118-109 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks, tallying 19 points, 15 rebounds, seven assists, and three steals along the way.
In the Knicks' most recent game, Hart played 35 minutes in a 116-94 win against the Toronto Raptors. He stepped up yet again, this time posting 20 points, 12 rebounds, seven assists, five offensive boards, and three steals on 8-of-12 shooting from the field and a 4-of-7 mark from distance.
In four starts, Hart has played 36.8 minutes per game. The Knicks, meanwhile, have gone 4-0 and have allowed just 101.0 points per contest.
Small a sample size as it may be, the Knicks are allowing just 106.3 points per 100 possessions over the past four games—the fourth-best mark in the NBA. It was No. 18 in the Association in defensive rating at 114.8 prior to Hart's return to the starting lineup.
It may defy every facet of conventional wisdom, but Brown is seemingly coming to the same realization as Thibodeau in regard to how to utilize Hart.
New York has improved its depth chart, but Hart is [a certifiably unique player](https://dailyknicks.com/josh-hart-perfectly-captured-value-knicks-five-words) in an NBA era defined by versatility. He thrives in a high-minute role, ties the starting lineup together in a way that even a top-tier shot-blocker may not be able to, and lacks a true positional designation to fit neatly into a traditional role.
Rather than fighting against how Hart makes the Knicks play like true contenders, Brown is embracing what Thibodeau fought to prove—and he's winning games because of it.