Josh Hart is locked and loaded, and this season, he’s letting it fly — and watching it fall.
The “it” in question is his three-point shot, which he’s converting at near career-best levels. Heading into Saturday’s matchup against the Detroit Pistons, Hart was shooting a scorching 40% from beyond the arc, a mark that puts him on pace to surpass the high-water 39.6% he achieved as a rookie with the Los Angeles Lakers.
Hart’s previous flashes of brilliance from deep — like his 51.9% clip in the second half of the 2022-23 season after joining the Knicks — came in small sample sizes. That stretch was only 25 games. But 22 games into this campaign, Hart is proving his hot hand is no fluke.
It’s a turnaround that couldn’t come at a better time. After a dismal 31% from three last season, Hart’s resurgence as a sharpshooter is critical in a Knicks offense transformed by the offseason acquisitions of Mikal Bridges and Karl-Anthony Towns. The two blockbuster trades ushered in a new era of five-out basketball at Madison Square Garden, where spacing and three-point shooting reign supreme.
The Hart of last season might have stagnated such an offense. Opponents dared him to shoot, sagging off to cut off passing lanes and neutralize his drive. But the Hart of this season? He’s forcing defenders to think twice.
“Did I take it personal [when defenses sagged off]? Maybe sometimes, but I made good enough decisions last year whether my shot was going in or not,” he told the Daily News. “So I try not to take too much stuff to heart.”
Hart has put in the work to retool his jumper, part of an unrelenting effort to elevate his career 34.6% clip from deep.
“Nah, I just think it’s something I’ve been working on — that I’m gonna continue to work on,” Hart told The News. “Obviously last year was a bad year for it, but I don’t think there was anything added because of last season or the addition of KAT.”
And better he has been.
Hart drained four of his six attempts from deep in Thursday’s 24-point rout of the Charlotte Hornets. For context, he didn’t hit four threes in any regular-season game last year until the playoffs, when he erupted from deep in the first round against the Philadelphia 76ers, sinking four triples in each of the first three games.
“When he’s working on his shot, he improves his shot. He’s gonna make. It’s that simple,” head coach Tom Thibodeau said ahead of tipoff Saturday evening. “That’s where confidence comes from — the work.”
Thibodeau credited Hart’s offseason commitment for the uptick in his shooting — and the ripple effect it’s had on his game and the team’s offense.
“He put a lot of time into it,” Thibodeau said. “You can tell when a player feels good about his shot. It’s in the body language. When a player’s driving and they see a guy down, hands up, ready to shoot, that’s a pass they’re gonna make. And he’s gonna shoot it with confidence.”
The three-point shot is just one of many ways Hart impacts the game.
Known as the Knicks’ glue guy, Hart is a whirlwind of activity on the court. He crashes the boards, makes hustle plays, attacks in transition, and creates for his teammates.
Hart is averaging 13.9 points, 8.6 rebounds, and 5.7 assists per game — all career highs save for scoring, which ranks as the second-best of his eight-year NBA career.
“He’s not only shooting shots. He’s playing a good game because he’s moving without the ball also,” Thibodeau said. “You’ve gotta be able to catch and see — so are you open? And if you’re open, shoot it, and if someone’s flying at you, put it down and make a play for one of your teammates. Read the game. Play off your instincts and be creative.”
Hart’s versatility is exactly what this Knicks team needed to take another step forward. As the league’s most efficient offense, the team relies on his ability to stretch the floor, his physicality on the boards, and his innate feel for the game.
And while Hart’s transformation as a shooter has drawn the spotlight, his game remains rooted in one philosophy: do whatever it takes to win. The three-ball is just a refined tool in his arsenal, one he’s worked tirelessly to hone.
Now, he isn’t just letting the threes fly. He’s making them count.
