Josh Hart

And-Ones: NBA Schedule, Breakout Players, Cap Room, More

November 20th, 2025 at 9:05am CST by Luke Adams

Warriors head coach Steve Kerr, who has advocated in the past for shorter regular seasons, is beating that drum again this fall with soft tissue injuries on the rise around the NBA, writes Nick Friedell of ESPN. Kerr said he’s “very concerned” about the increase in injuries, pointing to an increased pace of play and a relentless schedule as two factors he believes are contributing to the trend.

“The pace difference is dramatic,” Kerr said after Tuesday’s game vs. Orlando. “This team tonight has really upped their pace compared to last year. I think across the league everybody understands now it’s just easier to score now if you can beat (the other team) down the floor, get out in transition. But when everybody’s doing that, the game’s are much faster paced, and everyone has to cover out to 25 feet because everyone can shoot threes.

“… We have all the data,” Kerr continued. “Players are running faster and further than ever before, so we’re trying to do the best we can to protect them, but basically have a game every other night and it’s not an easy thing to do … (The medical staff) believe that the wear and tear, the speed, the pace, the mileage, it’s all factoring into these injuries.”

Kerr said the NBA has done a commendable job of trying to reduce back-to-backs and instances of four games in five days, but points out that it has resulted in teams rarely getting more than one day off between games, which results in little recovery time and almost no opportunities for practices.

“We literally have not had a single practice on this road trip. Not one,” Kerr said after the fifth game of a six-game trip. “We’ve gone a week, or longer, eight days, not one practice. It’s just game, game, game. So not only is there no recovery time, there’s no practice time. What was different back in the day — you did have four in five nights, which was not great, but then you’d have four days before your next game. So you’d take a day off, and you’d actually have a couple good practices and scrimmage. So there’s no easy answer here.”

Kerr isn’t alone in believing that playing fewer regular season games would benefit the players — Knicks forward Josh Hart agreed with that sentiment on Thursday, as Stefan Bondy of The New York Post relays. However, both Kerr and Hart acknowledged that it would be very difficult to actually implement that change due to the loss of revenue that would occur..

“Do I think there’s too many games? Yeah,” Hart said. “Conversely, will (team owners) and the league and players take a pay cut to not do that? I don’t know. It’s easy to sit there and say that we play too many games — which we do — but conversely, we’re also blessed to be able to benefit greatly from it.”

Here are a few more odds and ends from around the NBA:

In a pair of stories for The Athletic, Fred Katz takes a look at some of the NBA’s most improved players so far this season, while John Hollinger zeros in on several of the league’s breakout players. Heat forward Jaime Jaquez Jr. and Pistons center Jalen Duren show up on both lists, with Hollinger suggesting Duren appears to be on track for max or near-max money when he reaches restricted free agency next summer.
Previewing the salary cap landscape for the 2026 offseason, Keith Smith of Spotrac projects that six teams will operate with cap room, led by the Wizards with over $80MM in space. We conducted a similar exercise earlier this month, noting that the Wizards, Jazz, Nets, and Bulls are best positioned to go under the cap, while several other teams – like the Lakers and Clippers – are in the “maybe” category depending on what happens with certain free agents and player options.
A panel of ESPN’s NBA insiders takes an early look at potential trade-deadline needs for eight NBA teams hoping to contend this season, including the Pistons, Lakers, Warriors, Timberwolves, and Knicks. In the view of Bobby Marks, the Pistons are better positioned than any other Eastern Conference playoff team to make an in-season move, given their cap flexibility, movable contracts, and extra draft picks.

OG Anunoby Out At Least Two Weeks With Left Hamstring Strain

November 16th, 2025 at 10:08am CST by Rory Maher

November 16: Anunoby will miss at least two weeks, which is when he’ll be reevaluated, reports Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link).

November 14: Knicks forward OG Anunoby sustained a left hamstring strain in the first quarter of Friday’s game against Miami and will not return, the team announced (via Twitter).

According to Stefan Bondy of The New York Post (Twitter link), Anunoby appeared to suffer the injury while on a fast break. The 28-year-old grabbed at his hamstring after missing a layup and quickly exited the game.

Jordan Clarkson started the second half in Anunoby’s stead, tweets Ian Begley of SNY.tv.

While it’s unclear how much time Anunoby will miss, it seems somewhat ominous that he was diagnosed with a hamstring strain so soon after the injury occurred; typically, teams initially refer to soft tissue injuries as tightness or soreness rather than strains.

Anunoby, a one-time All-Defensive honoree, was off to an impressive start to the 2025/26 season, averaging 17.1 points, 5.8 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 2.1 steals through 11 games (33.5 minutes per contest). His shooting line over that span was .483/.397/.760.

Josh Hart, Landry Shamet and Clarkson are all candidates for more playing time with Anunoby out.

Star guard Jalen Brunson was out Friday as well after suffering a Grade 1 right ankle sprain late in Wednesday’s loss to Orlando. Head coach Mike Brown had a simple explanation for why Brunson was still playing with New York down 16 points with 1:54 remaining in the fourth quarter, as Peter Sblendorio of The New York Daily News relays.

“I’ve been a part of some crazy, crazy comebacks,” Brown said before Friday’s game. “I’m trying to win the game. A couple minutes left. A stop and two threes, and it’s a two-possession game. That’s all I was trying to do, is win the game.”

Miles McBride got the starting nod on Friday with Brunson sidelined.

Knicks Notes: Yabusele, Bridges, Hart, Robinson, Anunoby

November 13th, 2025 at 4:19pm CST by Rory Maher

When the Knicks used most of their taxpayer mid-level exception to sign Guerschon Yabusele over the summer, they envisioned him being a key member of the rotation in 2025/26. It hasn’t worked out that way this fall, with the French power forward largely struggling in his limited minutes, writes Kristian Winfield of The New York Daily News.

Yabusele isn’t solely to blame for his sluggish start, according to head coach Mike Brown.

“It’s the circumstance sometimes,” Brown said. “I put him in, take him out. It’s a little hard to get a rhythm doing that. I’ve got to take some blame in that as well. And I think over time, because he’s a really good basketball player, he’ll show it. He needs some minutes to show it, and I don’t know if those are always there for him.”

Here’s more on the Knicks:

After a five-game winning streak, the Knicks were pummeled by Orlando on Wednesday. More importantly, Jalen Brunson injured his right ankle late in the lopsided defeat, though it doesn’t sound like it will be a long-term issue. Key wings Mikal Bridges (one minute) and Josh Hart (zero) were benched by Brown for nearly the entire fourth quarter, notes Stefan Bondy of The New York Post. Bridges had no explanation for the decision. “I’m not sure,” said Bridges, who scored a season-low six points on 3-of-9 shooting. Hart said the team will be looking to bounce back on Friday against Miami, Bondy writes. “I don’t think we responded properly [to Orlando’s physicality],” Hart said. “So, learned a lesson. We have a tough, physical opponent on Friday. And we got to respond.”
While the playing time and workload of Mitchell Robinson continue to be carefully monitored by the team’s medical staff, Brown pushed back on the suggestion that the 27-old center would continue to frequently sit out games throughout the season, per Winfield. Brown made the comments after Tuesday’s win over Memphis, when Robinson was inactive for the front end of a back-to-back. “Well, I’m not sure about that,” Brown said. “We just gotta take that thing one game at a time and follow the lead of our medical people in terms of what the process is gonna be.”
Brown said Tuesday that OG Anunoby deserves to be an All-Star for the first time, as Peter Sblendorio of The New York Daily News relays. Brown credited the 28-year-old forward’s work ethic and said he has improved in multiple facets of the game while still getting used to the new system. “Not only is he an All-Star, he’s an All-Defensive performer,” Brown said. “In my opinion, he should have an opportunity, amongst others in our group, to fight for Defensive Player of the Year in the league.”

Knicks Notes: Towns, Robinson, Hart, McBride, Backup PG, Anunoby, Oakley

November 6th, 2025 at 8:23am CST by Dana Gauruder

More than a year after being traded from Minnesota to New York, Knicks big man Karl-Anthony Towns still has trouble processing the deal.

“I’m still stunned, I mean, I’m still stunned. It’s weird,” Towns said, per Vince Goodwill of ESPN, after the Knicks defeated his former club 137-114 on Wednesday. “I feel more like a Knick now after everything we went through last year, but it’s weird to see that Wolves jersey — especially the fire black one — and not see ‘Towns’ on the back of it.”

Towns believes the Timberwolves will remain one of the Western Conference’s elite teams.

“Built something special there,” Towns said. “It’s different when you’re in process and now you’re going against the process. They’re a great team. To see what they’re doing right now, special, and I expect nothing less than greatness from them.”

Here’s more on the Knicks:

Mitchell Robinson is on a load management plan that has included sitting out games and a minutes restriction when he suits up. He proved why he’s so essential to the club against Minnesota, Stefan Bondy of the New York Post writes. Robinson’s size, rebounding, defense, and rim protection were all impactful in a 16-minute stint. He finished with eight points, 10 rebounds, three blocks and a steal. “I was just out there being me,” he said.
Despite battling some nagging injuries, Josh Hart delivered his best performance of the season, Jared Schwartz of the New York Post notes. He posted a season-high 18 points, five rebounds and four assists. Miles McBride was also key off the bench with 14 points. “I gotta give a lot of credit to Deuce,” coach Mike Brown said. “Deuce was aggressive the right way. He played under control. If they tried to pick up full-court, he drove it by them. He touched the paint. He played off two [feet] and he sprayed it. And guys got great looks when he got us into our offensive. Josh was also a big catalyst in terms of trying to get us to push the pace and play the right way.”
With Brown already losing faith in Tyler Kolek, the Knicks once again find themselves in a familiar spot — seeking a reliable backup to Jalen Brunson. They are now using several players who aren’t true point guards in that role. Bondy identifies Jose Alvarado and Dante Exum as two options the club could consider on the trade market.
OG Anunoby is averaging a career-high 7.3 three-point attempts and making 41.4% of them. The Knicks want their versatile wing to keep firing away. “He’s a good shooter, and we want him to shoot the ball,” Hart told James Edwards III of The Athletic. “The offense is a little bit more ball movement, body movement. We want guys to put shots up and we’ll crash and do that. We want to, obviously, generate 3s.”
Former Knicks star Charles Oakley must pay more than $642K in lawyer fees to Madison Square Garden for deleting text messages during a court battle over his ejection from a game eight years ago, Priscilla DeGregory and Natalie O’Neill of the New York Post report. Oakley filed a defamation lawsuit against the arena firm and Knicks owner James Dolan in September 2017.

Knicks Notes: Towns, Rotation, Robinson, Bridges, Hart

November 4th, 2025 at 9:25pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Karl-Anthony Towns seems to be growing comfortable with new coach Mike Brown‘s schemes. The Knicks big man racked up 33 points, 13 rebounds and five assists in a 119-102 victory over the Wizards on Monday.

“KAT was a monster. He was a monster on the glass, he was really good defensively, he was a monster inside, outside,” Brown said, per Kristian Winfield of the New York Daily News. “He’s starting to feel and find his rhythm in what we’re trying to do.”

Towns had scored fewer than 20 points in half of New York’s first six games.

“Really, we’re all figuring it out. Getting better every day, understanding what our roles are and what we’ve got to do,” Towns said. “It’s good, we’ve got two wins in a row but we’re obviously still a work in progress.”

We have more on the Knicks:

Brown has trimmed the rotation to nine players in the past two games, Winfield notes. Against the Bulls on Sunday, Brown went with Josh Hart, Landry Shamet, Miles McBride and Jordan Clarkson off the bench. On Monday, with Mitchell Robinson sitting for load management purposes, Shamet moved into the starting lineup and Guerschon Yabusele played on the second unit. “The last two nights were the best I’ve done for them in terms of rotations. They kinda sorta knew when they were coming out or going in, who was going to play together,” Brown said.
Robinson’s availability remains something of a mystery, Jared Schwartz of the New York Post writes. Robinson has only played a combined 33 minutes through the first seven games. Left ankle injury management is the club’s reasons for limiting his minutes and game appearances. Don’t expect that to change. “We’ll keep doing that throughout the course of the year. Whatever they tell me, I’m gonna do,” Brown said.
Mikal Bridges‘ all-around game has been on display this season, Mike Vaccaro of the New York Post writes. He has also been a lot more vocal in his second year with the club. Bridges, who signed a four-year extension in the offseason, is averaging 16.4 points, 5.4 rebounds, 5.3 assists and 1.4 steals per night.
Despite dealing with hand and ankle injuries, Hart contributed 12 points with 10 rebounds and five assists in just 26 minutes on Monday. “Basically been banged up and hurt for what, three months?” Hart said, per Stefan Bondy of the New York Post. “Little frustrating, but it comes with the territory. It comes with being in a contact sport, so it is what it is.”

Josh Hart Reveals Nerve Damage In Shooting Hand

November 2nd, 2025 at 7:02pm CST by Eli Cohen

Knicks forward Josh Hart is suffering from nerve damage throughout his shooting hand, he revealed on Sunday to Fred Katz and James L Edwards III of The Athletic.

Hart previously acknowledged prior to training camp that an offseason procedure on his right ring finger didn’t sufficiently address the issue. Now he’s providing more details on the injury and suggesting it’s more wide-ranging than previously reported.

According to Katz and Edwards, not only is the injury impacting the fourth finger of Hart’s shooting hand, but it’s also causing him to lose feeling in his middle and pinky fingers throughout the day, whether on the court or off.

“It’ll probably be a process until I get full feeling back,” Hart said. “The hand will be what it is. I’m working (on shooting) all the time. That’ll come along. I’m not getting surgery.”

After missing much of the preseason and entering this fall with a different role than he played in the previous two seasons, Hart has gotten off to a slow start, averaging 2.8 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 3.3 assists in 22.3 minutes on .211/.100/.500 shooting splits over his first four games heading into Sunday’s contest against the Bulls.

With his minutes down significantly from the 35.5 MPG he averaged over the last two seasons with the Knicks, Hart is still seeking some stability and structure in his position with the team.

“If I’m not going to start, I’m totally cool with it,” he said. “I don’t want to be, like, the next starter up because then everything is varying by game. I want more of a consistent role so that I can affect that role.”

Knicks Notes: Coaching Change, Towns, Hart, Robinson

November 1st, 2025 at 6:14pm CST by Arthur Hill

After they got off to a 2-3 start, including a 10-point loss at Chicago on Friday, Steve Popper of Newsday wonders whether the Knicks‘ offseason coaching change was necessary or if they were trying to fix something that wasn’t broken.

Management decided to replace Tom Thibodeau after he took New York to the conference finals last season and brought in Mike Brown, who promised to give more minutes to bench players and institute an up-tempo style. Popper points out that the Knicks still have a roster filled with players who were acquired to fit Thibodeau’s slower-paced, defensive-minded approach. When they faced the Bulls, who are built for a faster style of play, they gave up 135 points.

Popper states that the adjustment has been particularly difficult for Karl-Anthony Towns, who is projected to spend more time at power forward after primarily being used as a center last season. Popper believes Towns is miscast by being asked to run the floor in transition like a wing.

Towns didn’t address his individual role after Friday’s loss, but his comments reflected the overall frustration of the team.

“Just obviously we’re not happy,” he said. “We had three winnable games and we didn’t do enough to close the game out. For someone like us, that was our identity last year — close games we usually win. So obviously it’s a different feeling not being able to close the games out.”

There’s more on the Knicks:

Josh Hart told Brown that he doesn’t want to move back and forth between starting and sixth-man duties, so he’s now a full-time reserve, Popper adds in the same piece. Hart said even though it was his idea, there might be times that he struggles with not being a starter. “I think throughout the season it’ll be a battle of, you know, kind of fighting the egotistical view of it,” he said. “I think I did have a good year last year. And you know, with a different role, now it’s totally different. I think the biggest thing, I’ve had to sacrifice my whole career. I talked about it the whole time last year. You know, that’s something that I try to do every year and try to make sure whether I’ve got to sacrifice or not, make the team the best that we can be. So it’s never like, OK cool and it’s seamless. There’s going to be days where I’m just like, ‘Man, that’s some bull.’ You know what I mean? But it’ll be a constant thing of fighting that, but making sure I know that this is what’s best for the team and locking in on that.”
Hart told reporters on Friday that he’s not considering another surgical procedure for an injured finger on his shooting hand, per Stefan Bondy of The New York Post. Hart wants to avoid a prolonged recovery that could sideline him for several months.
Brown was sharply critical of the Knicks’ defense following the loss to Chicago, relays Kristian Winfield of The New York Daily News. The Bulls scored 72 points in the first half and finished the game with six players in double figures. “Our defense tonight was nonexistent and it starts with guarding the basketball,” Brown said. “We have to be better guarding the basketball. And it has to be with a sense of physicality because if we don’t, teams are gonna do exactly what Chicago did tonight on the offensive end of the floor.”
After missing four games due to left ankle injury maintenance, Mitchell Robinson made his season debut on Friday, posting four points and 11 rebounds in 20 minutes. He’s being listed as questionable for Sunday’s rematch with the Bulls in New York, according to James L. Edwards of The Athletic (Twitter link).

Knicks Notes: Brown, Brunson, Hukporti, Hart, Anunoby

October 27th, 2025 at 9:00am CST by Arthur Hill

The Knicks didn’t shoot well Sunday night, but coach Mike Brown believes losing the “possession game” was the main reason for a 115-107 defeat at Miami, writes Steve Popper of Newsday. Since taking over the team, Brown has emphasized the importance of limiting transition points and opponents’ free throws. As his players adjust to the up-tempo style he wants to implement, Brown understands that defense will make the difference on most nights.

“On top of the 45 transition points, we gave up 31 free throws,” he said. We talked about both of those things at halftime and then we gave up 15 free throws just in the third quarter alone … That’s where the game was won or lost. Could we have played better offensively? Yes. But it’s going to be hard to win versus a good team on their home floor if you give up that many fast-break points or transition baskets and we send them to the line 31 times.”

New York also shot a miserable 15-of-54 from three-point range and had to rely on Jalen Brunson, who finished with 37 points, to carry the offense. The game was tied when Brunson checked out in the third quarter, but Miami was able to build a big lead during his time on the bench.

After the game, Brunson delivered the same messages as Brown.

“We were definitely a step slow in transition defense,” he said. “Just not being disciplined on their drives, fouling. Not a good night for us defensively. That shouldn’t happen this early. But at the same time, it is early and we have to understand we’re getting back in the flow of things, so we need to be ready to go when the ball is jumped up. Very correctable mistakes.”

There’s more on the Knicks:

Brown continues to adjust his starting lineup based on the opponent, observes Stefan Bondy of the New York Post. On Sunday, he matched the Heat’s size by turning to Ariel Hukporti, who didn’t play Friday against Boston after starting the opener against Cleveland. Hukporti was only on the court for 10 minutes Sunday night and went scoreless.
Josh Hart is wearing a splint on his surgically repaired right ring finger, but he says that’s not why he’s off to an 0-of-6 start from three-point range, per Kristian Winfield of The New York Daily News. Hart blames conditioning after missing nearly all of the preseason following a back injury early in the first game. “I think most of my shots have been short,” he said. “I’m just getting my legs under me, getting a rhythm. I think it’s more legs than the finger. The finger is what it is. But when I get my legs under me, a lot of those shorter shots won’t be short.”
In a unique perspective, James L. Edwards III of The Athletic focused solely on OG Anunoby throughout Sunday’s game.

Knicks Notes: Hart, McBride, Anunoby, Kolek

October 26th, 2025 at 5:03pm CST by Eli Cohen

Josh Hart is no longer on a minutes restriction for the Knicks, reports James L. Edwards III of The Athletic (Twitter link). Hart missed a majority of the preseason with back spasms and is also dealing with a finger injury that he expects to manage all season, but he was able to make his 2025/26 debut on Friday’s win against the Celtics.

Hart only scored three points on 1-for-8 shooting, but he collected 14 rebounds and dished out three assists with zero turnovers in just under 19 minutes. One person particularly impressed with the performance was head coach Mike Brown, writes Madeline Kenney for the New York Post.

“Josh, man, monster, monster, monster.” Brown said. “Not only did he guard everybody, he had six offensive rebounds, eight defensive. I don’t know if I’ve ever seen this before — 14 rebounds in 19 minutes — just a phenomenal, phenomenal game doing the dirty stuff by Josh.”

Hart called the outing a “solid first day here at the office” and noted that he’s still working on getting his conditioning back after missing much of the ramp-up to the season.

We have more on the Knicks:

Miles McBride is not with the Knicks on Sunday as they head to Miami, reports Stefan Bondy of the New York Post (via Twitter). McBride will miss the matchup due to personal reasons, and it’s unclear if he’ll join the team for the rest of its three-game road trip. He started the previous game in the absence of Mitchell Robinson, who is still out due to load management, and scored 10 points with four assists and four rebounds.
After leaving Friday’s game early, OG Anunoby says that he’s fine, and that he was dealing with cramping and not the ankle injury he fought through during preseason, writes Petter Botte of the New York Post. Botte notes that Anunoby went through practice on Friday, and SNY’s Ian Begley reports (via Twitter) that, according to Brown, Anunoby could’ve gone back into the game if he was needed.
After Malcolm Brogdon‘s surprise retirement, second-year guard Tyler Kolek has stepped into a larger role and is making the most of it, Botte writes. It hasn’t all been smooth sailing, but Brown likes what he’s seeing from the young point guard. “He had a really good game defensively [Friday] night for the most part,” Brown said. “During the first stretch, he was really good offensively. In the second half, he wasn’t as good, but he’s a young guy, and, he’s gonna learn and grow from any minutes that he gets, and that’s what I like about him, because you know he’s young, he’s smart, but more importantly, he’s tough-minded, so he can take any type of coaching or any adversity that he goes through at any time and he’ll bounce back the right way.” Kolek points to his time on the bench with Cameron Payne last season as a key to growing his understanding of the game, as the two would analyze the play of Jalen Brunson and others together.

Knicks Notes: Hart, Robinson, Towns, Brown, Yabusele

October 21st, 2025 at 9:29pm CST by Dana Gauruder

One of the questions facing the Knicks this preseason was whether new coach Mike Brown would choose Mitchell Robinson or Josh Hart as the team’s fifth starter. As it turns out, neither will play in the season opener against Cleveland on Wednesday. They’re listed as out on the official injury report and another starter, Karl-Anthony Towns, is questionable due to a strained right quad, Steve Popper of Newsday tweets.

Hart is dealing with lumbar spasms, according to Jared Schwartz of the New York Post. In terms of the oft-injured Robinson, it’s essentially left ankle injury management.

“With Mitch, we just have to be smart,” Brown said. “That’s part of load management. Just because he might be able to play tonight, he might be able to practice today, that doesn’t necessarily mean I’m gonna play him or I’m gonna practice him.”

Here’s more on the Knicks:

Brown has been tasked to bring the Knicks a long-awaited championship. He says they can’t skip any steps along the way, Schwartz writes. “The good part about it is, the Finals or the championship round doesn’t happen until June,” Brown said. “We’ve got a long time to get there. It starts on the daily. We can’t skip any steps. We just wanna keep taking steps, because it’s gonna be a process. Knowing that we might take one or two steps backwards, but hopefully we can regroup and continue to take three, four, five more forward.”
Towns isn’t entirely sure how his skill set fits into Brown’s offensive schemes, which are more up-tempo with a heavier emphasis on movement compared to Tom Thibodeau’s more methodical system. “Honestly, I don’t know, but we’re figuring it out. It’s just different,” Towns told Kristian Winfield of the New York Daily News. Brown is confident Towns will adjust. “First thing is, it’s going to be a process, especially with him missing the last couple of games,” the Knicks’ new coach said. “He’ll be in the strong corner, he’ll be in the weak corner, he can be the push man, or he can be the weak wing, and also he can be at the top of the key and in the dunker. That will help him, the movement.”
Guerschon Yabusele has tipped the scales after signing a two-year contract as a free agent, according to Zach Braziller of the New York Post. The new Knicks forward weighs in at 283 pounds, 18 pounds more than last season with the Sixers. “I did not ask him to put on weight or take off weight,” Brown said. “That’s something that our performance people talk to him about.”

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