New York Knicks forward Josh Hart has not been able to get up to speed with the rest of his team during the preseason. After playing just seven minutes in the preseason opener in Abu Dhabi, Hart tweaked his back and has not appeared in a game since, nor has he been a full participant in practice.
Knicks’ Josh Hart is behind on learning the new schemes
As a result, Hart will have to play catch-up in terms of understanding the new schemes that head coach Mike Brown has put in place. Despite that, coach Brown is confident that Hart will be on the same page rather quickly.
“The tough part about it is, because what we’re doing is new, and he hasn’t gone through it, he’s a little behind in that regard,” Brown said, per Zach Braziller of the New York Post. “But he’s got a great feel, has watched us enough, he should be able to jump in. He might be a few steps behind, but he should be able to catch up quickly with the guys.”
Brown’s new schemes include a heavy dose of ball movement and three-point shooting. Hart played a heavy workload under the previous head coach, Tom Thibodeau, and he played a variety of roles during that time.
Hart will hopefully adapt quickly
Luckily for him, Hart is a player who provides a bit of everything to the table. As the team’s Swiss Army knife, he gives the team great hustle and rebounding with an ability to light up the stat sheet at times as well.
Of course, in an ideal scenario, the Knicks will be able to give Hart some additional reps before the start of the regular season, but preserving his health is first and foremost.
The team has the depth to help cover any slack that may arise. Furthermore, Hart will be a very important piece to their success this year, so they don’t want to limit his effectiveness by having him return sooner.