Josh Hart excels in several facets of basketball. His stat line this season of 14.5 points, 9.8 rebounds, and 5.6 assists hints at his versatile skill set.
Despite all the categories that Hart is proficient in, one source of inconsistency for the Knicks’ swiss army knife is three-point shooting. A career 34.2 percent three-point shooter, Hart is having another season that’s below league average from beyond the arc as he has gone 63-for-193 on three-point attempts (32.6 percent).
The start of this season offered some optimism as Hart was hot from deep. In the first 32 games of the year, he was at a 39.3 percent clip from behind the three-point line. But now, Hart is mired in a major shooting slump. Since the start of the new year, he is shooting just 23.5 percent from deep. The cold stretch has made Hart reluctant to launch from outside. In response to his shooting struggles, Hart has attempted less shots from three-point range.
Hart’s unwillingness has also made the task of guarding him easier for opponents in the half court. Teams are often placing their center on Hart and sagging off him. The Los Angeles Lakers consistently ignored Hart in Thursday night’s 113-109 overtime loss as center Jaxson Hayes opted to station himself in the paint. Friday night’s 105-95 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers saw a Knicks opponent maintain the same strategy with 7-footer Ivica Zubac defending the 6-foot-4 Hart for most of the game.
It’s slowing down New York’s offense as teams are often helping off Hart and containing potential Knicks drives. Even more important, Knicks star Karl-Anthony Towns has struggled largely with teams placing wing defenders on him.
Potential solutions
Hart’s reluctance to shoot is playing a part in New York’s struggles from the three-point line. As SNY NBA Insider Ian Begley pointed out, the Knicks are not getting up a lot of three-pointers. The team is 27th in three-point attempts per 100 possessions, taking 34.5 threes per 100 possessions.
The Knicks could opt to use more lineups that feature more consistent three-point threats such as Miles McBride and Landry Shamet. The Knicks can try and use Hart in different ways as well. He could run more pick and rolls as the ball handler with Jalen Brunson out. Hart can also be a screener more often in the pick and roll.
Hart is an integral piece to New York’s team. In the loss to the Clippers, he had 14 points, 20 rebounds and six assists in 46 minutes. And with Brunson — the Knicks’ offensive engine — out for at least the next two weeks, New York will need Hart to step up.
The Knicks are currently third in the East but are in danger of falling in the standings with Brunson out of the lineup and three games remaining on a west coast road trip. Brunson is one one of the club’s best playmakers and without him, the team’s shot creation ability is lacking. Hart’s penchant for transition playmaking is crucial to New York manufacturing easier scoring opportunities.
Hart’s always had his ups and downs from the perimeter. When the Knicks first acquired him, he was in a shooting slump with the Portland Trail Blazers. He’s eventually found ways to recover. However, if Hart keeps shooting this poorly, the Knicks may need to think about cutting his minutes slightly.
