Josh Hart has seen enough through three games with the Knicks to consider they will probably be a dangerous opponent for the remaining of the regular season and, potentially, within the playoffs.
“I feel we is usually a really good team that could make a run,” Hart said in the future before the Knicks kick off their final 22 games of the regular season Friday night in Washington. “I’m not gonna sit here and say that we may be the two-seed or whatever it’s.
“But we’re a team who could make a run, who I feel teams won’t need to play.”
The Knicks (33-27) will resume play out of the All-Star break within the No. 6 position within the Eastern Conference, a half-game ahead of the Heat and two behind the fifth-place Nets, who dealt away superstars Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving before the trade deadline earlier this month.
All-Star forward Julius Randle said there’s “absolutely one other level we are able to get to” with the pre-deadline addition of Hart and the potential return Friday night of starting Mitchell Robinson (questionable) for the primary time since Jan. 19 thumb surgery.
“I all the time think we are able to recover,” Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau added. “The one good thing about Mitch being out was the experience that Jericho [Sims] was in a position to get. After which I feel Isaiah [Hartenstein] found a extremely good rhythm, and he’s playing at a really high level right away.
“And after all, getting Mitch back is a giant plus for us. We understand how necessary he’s to the team and the things that he brings to our team. It’s an added element. I feel Josh has given us jolt, and he’s helped in quite a lot of other ways. [Immanuel Quickley] has been terrific for a protracted stretch now. And the best way Jalen [Brunson] is playing and Julius is playing, we’ve played off that extremely well.”
The Knicks won their final three games ahead of the break after acquiring Hart from the Trail Blazers on Feb. 8, with the two-way wing averaging 17.0 points per appearance.
“It’s a tricky team that plays physical, plays tough,” Hart said of his latest team. “We now have quite a lot of guys on the market that could make reads, that may play-make, that any given night, you will have guys that may go for 30 [points], starters and guys coming off the bench.
“And guys which can be selfless, I feel that’s the largest thing. In order that combination of all those things is something that provides us confidence going into the second half of the season.”
Hart also offered his impressions of Robinson as an opponent and what he expects now that they’re teammates.
“Freak athlete, does an amazing job by way of protecting the paint, blocking shots, contesting shots … Not only blocking, but influencing shots on the rim,” Hart said. “He’s someone who’s pretty mobile for his size, athletic. So it’s someone that I’ll like twiddling with.
“Obviously, defender where I can pressure the ball, and if I get beat, I can depend on him to affect guys on the rim. After which on the opposite side, having a tough, athletic roller like that who can put pressure on the defense in pick-and-rolls and handoffs and people type of things, is unquestionably someone that I’d wish to play with…It’s something I’ll definitely benefit from, knowing he has my back on the market.”
Thibodeau added that he believes the appreciation for Robinson’s game at each ends of the court is spreading across the league.
“But I feel the large thing is the appreciation by his teammates, his coaches, the organization, that’s the necessary thing,” Thibodeau said. “I all the time say it’s what we predict and what we feel. I do know there’s great appreciation.
“There’s quite a lot of things that he does that are usually not measured statistically. They’re measured by rim protection, multiple effort, pick-and-roll defense, running the ground, offensive rebounding, creating extra possessions for us. Those things help us win. His growth has been very, excellent. It’s unlucky that he got hurt when he did, but I believed that he was playing at a extremely high level prior to this injury.”
