Josh Hart, Josh Hart injury update, Knicks, Knicks injury
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Josh Hart #3 of the New York Knicks rebounds the ball against the Minnesota Timberwolves in the third quarter at Target Center on December 23, 2025 in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
The New York Knicks lost their third consecutive game Saturday night, suffering a 130-119 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers. Incidentally, Mike Brown’s men have gone 2-3 since Josh Hart went down with an ankle sprain during the Christmas Day victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers.
In a positive update, Hart is trending towards a return. According to SNY’s Ian Begley, Hart has been cleared for light court work and will be re-evaluated in a week.
Hart did not travel with the Knicks during last week’s three-game road trip against the Atlanta Hawks, New Orleans Pelicans and San Antonio Spurs, as the franchise preferred to treat him at their home facility.
Potential Josh Hart Return Date
Hart could potentially return to the Knicks lineup sometime during the four-game road trip between Jan. 9 and Jan. 15. That trip includes back-to-back contests against the Phoenix Suns and Portland Trail Blazers, followed by stops in Sacramento and Golden State. Typically, teams prefer to hold out returning players for back-to-backs, so it’s unlikely Hart will play against both Phoenix and Portland.
In Hart’s absence, the Knicks have tried out various starting replacements, including rookie Mohamed Diawara, big man Mitchell Robinson and off-guard Miles McBride. In Saturday’s loss to the Sixers, they rolled with the double-big lineup of Karl-Anthony Towns and Robinson, a decision that did not work, as the Knicks gave up 54 paint points and were out-rebounded 47-44 by Joel Embiid and Co.
Knicks Miss Josh Hart
It’s been crystal clear that the Knicks dearly miss Hart, the heart and soul of the franchise, and the ultimate glue guy. In their last five games without him, the Knicks have given up 121.8 points per 100 possessions, while getting outscored by 17 points.
Ian Begley
Knicks fall to 2-3 since Josh Hart went down with an ankle injury. They have given up at least 125 points in four of those five games; Atlanta – the lone team that didn’t crack 125 – had 94 through three quarters against them.
The veteran swingman was averaging 12.3 points, 8.0 rebounds, 5.1 assists and 1.4 steals in 28 games before his injury. In December, when the Knicks went 7-3, he tallied 13.7 points, 8.5 rebounds and 5.1 assists and was a +27 on the floor.
After Saturday’s loss, Knicks head coach Brown explained why his team misses Hart.
“At the end of the day, having Josh out there helps a ton,” he said, via Jared Schwart of New York Post.
“… Right now, our pace is not good. We’re walking the ball up almost every time and then everything is just going to the front side. It’s been a while, at least these last two games, our staples — our pace in the full court and the front court, we wanna space the floor correctly, we wanna make quick decisions, we wanna touch the paint and we want the ball getting reversed — and we haven’t seen a lot of any of that.”
Knicks captain admitted it was not a coincidence that the Knicks were on a three-game losing streak and their first slump of the season since the Josh Hart injury.
“Obviously, we miss him,” Brunson said of Hart.
“But there is no excuse to what we should be doing out there. Obviously, he’s a big part of what we do, but we gotta step up.”