So Whose Minutes is Josh Hart Taking?

The New York Knicks needed to make a move at the trade deadline. There were too many talented players sitting on the bench begging for playing time to ignore. Well, the Knicks have now added a new player who will be battling for minutes in coach Thibs’s tight rotation.

The Trail Blazers are trading Josh Hart to the Knicks, sources tell ESPN.

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) February 9, 2023

Knicks get:

Josh Hart

Trailblazers get:

Cam Reddish
Ryan Arcidiacono
Svi Mykhailiuk
Knicks’ 2023 lottery-protected first-round pick (becomes four second-rounders if it doesn’t convey this year)

Enter Josh Hart—another guard on a Knicks roster overflowing with guards. It doesn’t take very long to realize this trade does nothing for a Knicks organization that seems to be waiting patiently for a major superstar to become available.

Let’s remember how the Knicks acquired Cam Reddish. Kevin Knox was wasting away on the bench collecting coach’s DNPs left and right so New York shipped him to Atlanta along with a first-round pick for Cam Reddish.

Reddish couldn’t fit into the Knicks’s rotation because they traded him for a guy who already wasn’t in that rotation. That’s literally what’s happening again with Josh Hart. The Knicks are giving up a first-round pick and a guy who doesn’t play for the second trade deadline in a row…

But let’s talk about what Hart brings to the team. He’s a hardnose on-ball defender who gives a ton of effort on that side of the ball. Thibs is going to love Hart’s commitment to preventing opponents from scoring on him.

The Knicks need scoring off the bench though and Josh Hart doesn’t bring scoring. Here’s what Hart has been doing in Portland so far this year:

9.5 points
8.2 rebounds
3.9 assists
50% shooting from the field
30% from 3

With Jalen Brunson and Julius Randle dominating the ball most possessions, Josh Hart sitting in the corner with a 30% 3-point percentage doesn’t really make the team that much better offensively but it’s better than the zero Reddish was providing.

You also have to factor in the team chemistry dynamic. Jalen Brunson and Josh Hart were college teammates at Villanova and Brunson was hyped to learn Hart was coming to Manhattan.

Jalen Brunson finding out he’s teammates with Josh Hart again 🔥❤️

(h/t @Capj1344)

pic.twitter.com/3uKNeY31t8

— NBACentral (@TheNBACentral) February 9, 2023

Always a good idea to keep your best player happy. But again, DO YOU REMEMBER WHEN THE KNICKS DID THIS SAME EXACT SHIT LAST SEASON TO BRING IN RJ BARRET’S COLLEGE TEAMMATE??!

This isn’t weird to anyone else that New York is doing the same thing in back-to-back deadlines? Whatever.

So now the question becomes, whose minutes is Josh Hart taking?

The obvious answer is Miles McBride losing his playing time completely. McBride is only playing around 13 minutes a game and hasn’t been given the opportunity to prove if he deserves more minutes or not. In his second year in the league, the Knicks can afford to send McBride back down to the G-League and let Hart step into that backup guard role.

Jalen Brunson is the starting point guard and one of the best point guards in the NBA. His minutes will be unaffected. Quentin Grimes has proven his value as one of the better on-ball defenders in the league as well as a playmaker capable of both spotting up for 3’s as well as attacking close-outs and setting up his teammates. These two should remain starters.

There’s an easy solution and it hurts but it’s time to rip the bandaid off.

Knicks +/- Leaders this season

Quickley: +188
Robinson: +138
Grimes: +103
KNICKS TEAM: +85
Randle: +78
McBride: +58
Brunson: +30
Hartenstein: +9
Reddish: -11
Rose: -24
Fournier: -25
Barrett: -59
Sims: -71

— KnicksMuse (@KnicksMuse) February 5, 2023

RJ Barrett is the worst player on the team.

We can keep saying he’s only 22 years old and assuming that means there’s another level he can reach but it’s even more possible that he has reached the apex of his athletic peak.

Every time he steps up to play defense it’s as if he’s moving in slow motion as guys casually blow past him. He misses every single jumper he takes. Shooting 43% on 16.5 attempts a night is disgusting.

I think we’ve learned RJ, Randle and Brunson cannot co-exist. There is no point in finding out any further. We have enough information.

Josh Hart should replace RJ Barrett in the starting lineup.

Hart and Grimes can lock up the best ball handlers on the opposing team. Hart doesn’t need the ball in his hands so Brunson and Randle can cook without watching RJ hijack possessions with brutal isos or bricked 3’s.

Plus, it’s very possible that sending RJ to the bench to play alongside Immanuel Quickley could help restore Barrett’s confidence. He’d be playing against backups and he’d be able to dominate the ball without Randle rolling his eyes at him.

Okay, I think I just talked myself into the Knicks winning the Eastern Conference. I’ll see you all at the championship parade.