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Josh Hart’s relationship with the referees is a work in progress but headed in the right direction.
Leading the Knicks in techs this season by a wide margin — Hart had six before Wednesday — the forward said he reached out recently to an official to better understand the problem and how to fix it.
Hart, who said he had already cut out cursing from his complaints, came away with an understanding he too often views the referees as the enemies.
“Some of the techs I got, I haven’t even cursed so I kind of been surprised by them,” Hart told The Post. “So I’m not going to say what ref but I asked him, ‘Do I have a bad reputation? Or what? Man-to-man, let me know. Because I’m trying to work on it.’
“And he was just like, ‘No, you’re an amazing competitor. But sometimes in the heat of competition, it’s like you’re against us, too. Like you look at it 8 on 5.’ Which I do sometimes. So I think my complaining and getting techs hurts us. We’re giving them free points or the ball or whatever it is and those kind of things. So it’s just something I’m trying to be more cognizant of and work on.”
The Post checked in with an expert G-League talent evaluator on the Westchester Knicks, who recently won the annual Winter Showcase tournament.
It’s more relevant with the senior Knicks desperately needing depth. Here’s the scouting report:
TJ Warren: “Easily the best player and scorer. I worry about his defense with Thibs. I don’t see another player down there that Thibs would look at.”
Pacome Dadiet: “Has not been great in the G-League from what I’ve seen. Big kid. And he’s young.”
Chuma Okeke: “A very interesting player. You don’t notice him and look up and he has a near triple-double. He just plays the right way. A bit out of shape still somehow.”
Moses Brown: “An incredible study. He can’t figure out which hand to play with. He’s a righty. His left hand is smooth. His right hand is broken. So now he’s trying to get everything with his left hand. Wonder if his body will hold up. A good G-League center.”
Jacob Toppin: Hot and cold.
Damion Baugh and Abdullah Ahmed: Keep an eye on them for Summer League.
Asked if the Knicks have to monitor the knee injury to Karl-Anthony Towns, who missed two games this season with right patellar tendinopathy, Thibodeau said, “You trust him, trust medical. He does a really good job. And I think that that’s a big part of his growth. After the Chicago game, he goes and works out. He knows how to get through and prepare for the entire season and I think that’s important. So overall I think he feels pretty good.”
