Josh Hart is locked and loaded, and this season he’s letting it fly – and watching it fall.
The “it” in question is his three-point shooting, which he converts at near his career best. Before Saturday’s game against the Detroit Pistons, Hart was shooting 40 percent from beyond the arc, a mark that put him on track to surpass the 39.6 percent he achieved as a rookie with the Los Angeles Lakers.
Hart’s previous flashes of brilliance from deep — like his 51.9% clip in the second half of the 2022-23 season after joining the Knicks — have come in small samples. This streak was only 25 games long. But 22 games into this campaign, Hart is proving his hot hand is no fluke.
It’s a turnaround that couldn’t come at a better time. After a dismal 31 percent from three last season, Hart’s resurgence as a sharpshooter is crucial in a Knicks offense transformed by the offseason acquisitions of Mikal Bridges and Karl-Anthony Towns. The two blockbuster exchanges ushered in a new era of five-out basketball at Madison Square Garden, where spacing and the three-point shot reign supreme.
Last season’s Hart could have stagnated such an offense. Opponents dared him to shoot, dropping down to cut off passing lanes and neutralize his drive. But this season’s Hart? It forces defenders to think twice.
“Did I take it personally [when defenses sagged off]? Maybe sometimes, but I made some pretty good decisions last year, whether my shot was successful or not,” he told the Daily News. “So I try not to take too many things to heart. »
Hart has worked to retool his jumper, part of a relentless effort to elevate his career to 34.6 percent from deep.
“No, I just think it’s something that I’ve been working on — and I’m going to continue to work on,” Hart told The News. “Obviously last year was a bad year, but I don’t think there was anything added because of last season or the addition of KAT.”
And he got better.
Hart drained four of his six attempts from deep in Thursday’s 24-point rout of the Charlotte Hornets. For context, he didn’t make four threes in a regular season game last year until the playoffs, when he broke out in the first round against the Philadelphia 76ers, hitting four triples in each of the first three matches.
“When he works on his shot, he improves his shot. He will do. It’s as simple as that,” head coach Tom Thibodeau said before Saturday night’s announcement. “That’s where confidence comes from: work.”
Thibodeau credited Hart’s offseason commitment with increasing his shooting — and the ripple effect it had on his game and the team’s offense.
“He put a lot of time into it,” Thibodeau said. “You can tell when a player feels good with his shot. It’s in the body language. When a player is driving and sees a guy on the ground with his hands up, ready to shoot, that’s a pass he’s going to make. And he’s going to shoot it with confidence.
The three-point shot is just one of the many ways Hart impacts the game.
Known as the Knicks’ glue man, Hart is a whirlwind of activity on the court. He crashes the boards, makes hustle plays, attacks in transition and creates for his teammates.
Hart is averaging 13.9 points, 8.6 rebounds and 5.7 assists per game – all career highs except for the scoring, which ranks second in his eight-year career in the NBA.
“He doesn’t just shoot. He’s playing a good game because he’s moving without the ball as well,” Thibodeau said. “You have to be able to catch and see – so are you open? And if you’re open, shoot it, and if someone flies at you, put it down and make a play for one of your teammates. Read the game. Play on your instincts and be creative.
Hart’s versatility is exactly what this Knicks team needed to take another step forward. As the league’s most efficient offense, the team relies on its ability to stretch the floor, its physicality on the boards and its innate feel for the game.
And while Hart’s transformation as a shooter has garnered attention, his game remains rooted in one philosophy: do whatever it takes to win. The three-ball is just a refined tool in his arsenal, one that he has worked tirelessly to perfect.
Now he’s not just letting the three fly. He makes them count.
