Throughout the eight seasons he has spent in the NBA, Josh hart has shown his value not so much through eye-popping numbers, but always through his versatility on both ends of the floor. And his versatility based on whatever role his coach hands him.
Hart has proved his worth to coach Tom Thibodeau, who seems to hardly ever want to take Hart off the floor. Hart started all 77 games in which he appeared in the 2024-25 season, and led the NBA with 37.6 minutes played per game.
Hart also started all 14 of the Knicks playoff games. Until, that is, Game 3, a must-win in Indiana after the Knicks were shocked with two home losses to the Pacers at Madison Square Garden last week. With big man Mitchell Robinson clearly having a positive impact (17 rebounds and a plus-6 off the bench) in both of the losses, Hart went to Thibodeau with a suggestion.
May 25, 2025; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; New York Knicks guard Josh Hart (3) passes during the second quarter against the Indiana Pacers during game three of the eastern conference finals for the 2025 NBA Playoffs at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images
New York Knicks guard Josh Hart (3) passes during the second quarter against the Indiana Pacers during game three of the eastern conference finals for the 2025 NBA Playoffs at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images
He wanted to be benched.
As Stefan Bondy of the New York Post reported, "Josh Hart said he came to Tom Thibodeau with idea of moving to the bench. He said it’s a discussion that occurred before and talked about doing before Game 6 against Boston."
And when news leaked that Hart would not start Game 3, he said he got messages of concern from friends and family.
“It’s funny because people were texting me all day, asking if I’m ok. It’s like, I don’t care if I start. I don’t care if I play 20 minutes," Hart said. "If we win, we win.”
And they did win. It's not easy to say whether the Robinson-Hart move was the catalyst, but in the end, the Knicks came away with a 106-100 victory, coming back from a 20-point deficit. Karl-Anthony Towns scored 20 of his 24 points in the fourth quarter to fire the win.
Robinson had just six points and six rebounds, while Hart had eight points, 10 rebounds and four assists. The real hero may have been Landry Shamet, a reserve Thibodeau had played only 30 total minutes in the postseason. He was a plus-12 in 11 minutes. Delon Wright, also little-used, played 13 minutes.
In the end, Thibodeau's decision to reach deeper into his bench was probably a bigger impact decision than benching Hart. But still, fans and media ate up Hart's team-first attitude.
Harrison Sanford, co-host of "The Green Room" podcast, wrote on X, "The awareness and humility has to be applauded."
A fan added, "Came up huge with the couple rebounds there at the end. Warrior."
Another added, "Respect to Josh for this."
And another said of Hart's mental approach: "Winning attitude. That’s why NY loves him."
The respite is short-lived, though. The Knicks will be back on the floor against the Pacers for Game 4 on Tuesday in Indiana at 8 p.m. ET.