Knicks forward Josh Hart underwent a procedure on his right ring finger in July, but he told reporters at the team’s media day on Tuesday that he recently aggravated that finger issue and will likely have to wear a splint this season, as Steve Popper of Newsday tweets.
Hart’s hope is that the splint will suffice for 2025/26 and he’ll be able to address the injury again next summer, tweets James L. Edwards III of The Athletic. While his goal is to be available for the entire season, the 30-year-old acknowledged that if he can’t play like himself as a result of the injury, he may have to address it earlier than the 2026 offseason.
“I hate playing with anything on my hands,” Hart said (Twitter link via Edwards). “It might take a little getting used to. That’s the best scenario (playing with a finger splint).”
Here are a few more highlights from the Knicks’ media day:
- According to Edwards (Twitter link), Knicks big man Karl-Anthony Towns said today that he didn’t undergo any procedures on his finger or knee during the offseason, contrary to a June report. For what it’s worth, the wording in that ESPN report from June has since been updated to indicate that Towns underwent “treatment” on those injuries, rather than “procedures.”
- Asked today about the team’s lineup and rotation, new Knicks head coach Mike Brown said “it’s too early” to make a final decision on his starting five, adding that he anticipates using a nine- or 10-man rotation (Twitter links via Edwards).
- Multiple Knicks players, including star guard Jalen Brunson, expressed appreciation for former head coach Tom Thibodeau (Twitter link via Edwards). “It’s sad to see a man I’ve known for a long time part ways with this organization,” Brunson said. “He’s meant a lot to me. I’ve expressed that to him publicly and personally. He’s meant a lot to my career.”
- Mikal Bridges signed a four-year extension this offseason that came in about $6MM below his maximum extension. He said on Tuesday that he agreed to sign for $150MM instead of $156MM because he wants to “win bad” and knew it would help the organization if he accepted a little less. “I got a good amount of money,” Bridges said.