Josh Hart makes an impact in so many different ways.
At the moment, though, it’s one of his less talked about abilities that the Knicks are missing the most.
Without him, there is a glaring lack of a facilitator and playmaker.
One of Mike Brown’s big missions was to let Jalen Brunson play off the ball and take pressure off him to set up the offense.
And, after inserting Hart into the starting lineup, that was working with him often acting as the orchestrator and usually the one pushing the Knicks in transition.
But without him, the offense has become stagnant and undynamic with a lack of ball movement during this four-game skid. In their blowout loss to the Pistons on Monday night in Detroit, Brunson had zero assists and six turnovers, struggling to create for his teammates with nobody to take that load off his shoulders.
“Our last game, we had our lowest pass total,” Brown said after practice Tuesday. “I think we had 229 passes for the game, and we’re averaging a little over 290. That’s a big difference. When you talk about 70 less passes in one game, that’s a big difference. I showed our guys, we had opportunities where we could’ve gotten off the ball sooner. And that’s across the board.”
Hart — who is out again for Wednesday’s clash against the Clippers at Madison Square Garden with his sprained ankle — averages 5.1 assists per game, second on the team behind Brunson.
His rebounding prowess and willingness to do the dirty work are usually what first come to mind, but his ability as a creator is undeniable.
More than anyone besides Brunson, he forces the defense to collapse and creates openings for teammates. And it is him who most gets the Knicks to play with pace offensively.
Beyond adding more of the responsibility to Brunson — which goes against Brown’s vision — there are few other candidates that can handle that playmaking load.
OG Anunoby and Mikal Bridges’ roles in Brown’s system are primarily to stay in the corners as catch-and-shoot options from 3-point range. Karl-Anthony Towns is a good passer for a big man but is not someone who can break down a defense off the dribble.
Miles McBride can do it a bit but is not a natural.
Without Hart, should any of those roles change?
“I think having guys change roles may not be the best thing,” Brunson said. “It could happen, but for us it’s all about stepping up. Controlling what you can control, doing what you have to do, play to your strengths, just help your team and do whatever it takes. I think that’s what Josh brings to the table — he does whatever it takes to win. So when it comes to changing your role, I just feel like everyone has to step up in a certain way. It’s not just gonna be one person. We all just have to be better as a team. It’s plain and simple.”
Something else is plain and simple — the Knicks can not easily replicate Hart’s role.
