Concerns Grow for Knicks Star After Blowout Loss
Concerns are growing for New York Knicks standout Josh Hart after he missed a second consecutive game coming out of the All-Star break.
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New York Knicks standout Josh Hart missed a second consecutive game.
Concerns are growing for New York Knicks standout Josh Hart after he missed a second consecutive game coming out of the All-Star break.
Hart is dealing with patellofemoral pain syndrome in his right knee, also known as runnerās Knee. Although his knee has been nagging him for a chunk of the year, he has missed just one gameāandĀ that was for personal reasons.
āItās soreness. I think itās part of our league,ā head coach Tom Thibodeau said. āPlayers have soreness and how do you deal with it and whatās the best course of action to move forward. So you trust the player. You trust medical. And medical weighs heavily on these decisions.ā
Hart has logged the third most minutes in the NBA this season (37.8 per game). Only 76ers guard Tyrese Maxey (37.9) and his teammate Mikal Bridges (38.1) average more.
āJosh Hartās injury is so clearly a product of him being run into the ground,ā one fan said.
āJosh Hart missing back to back games right out of ASB is a horrible sign for his injury status,ā another fan added. āKnicks always tight lipped about injuries. Have to read between the lines. Hart plays through EVERYTHING. For him to not be able to go, itās a problem.ā
Knicks Missing Hart in Blowout Loss to Cavs
Hart was missed during Friday nightās 142-105 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Knicks had no answers on defense in what was the most lopsided loss of Thibodeauās tenure.
The Knicks have two all-stars in Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns. But even Brunson admitted that Hartās absence left something key missing.
āI mean, obviously, heās ā no pun intended ā heās the heart of our team, really,ā Jalen Brunson said. āWe canāt just say, āOh we donāt have him tonight. Letās chalk it up as an L.ā Thatās not how stuff should go.ā
Hart is averaging 14.7 points, 9.6 rebounds and 5.7 assists this season.
Josh Hart Takes Pride in Being Available for Knicks
Hart addressed his knee issues prior to the All-Star break. He downplayed the issue and said he takes pride on his availability.
āI donāt know. Weāll see what it calls for at the end of the season,ā Hart said. āBut like I said before, Iām a servant to [my teammates] this year. I want to make sure I put these guys in the best situation. Itās not just for them. Itās also for [Thibodeau]. I want to make sure that Iām available to him. I want to make sure when Iām out there, Iām playing at a high level and playing the game the way I know how to play. If Iām out there, Iām healthy enough. And Iām good.ā
The Knicks did get some good news, with OG Anunoby returning after a five-game absence. However, he had just five points in 27 minutes.
āIt was about what I thought it would be,ā Thibodeau said. āThere were some good minutes early, and then thereās some rust heās got to work through, but I thought he had good energy.ā
The Knicks face another tough test on Sunday against the Boston Celtics.
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