Josh Hart is looking to improve after a somewhat disappointing first 41 games, but the Knicks opened the second half of their 82-game schedule Thursday night against the Wizards without him.
Hart sat out his first game of the season after acknowledging Wednesday night that his numbers have dipped across the board in his first full season as a Knick from the all-around impact he had following a trade-deadline arrival nearly one year ago.
Hart, who was acquired from the Trail Blazers last February, was out of the lineup against the Wizards on Thursday night with what he described as “soreness” in his left knee, while the Knicks have listed it as patellar tendinopathy.
Hart, who says he’s day-to-day, enjoyed a strong game despite the injury in Wednesday’s win over the Rockets, with 10 points and 14 rebounds in 30 minutes off the bench.
But he stressed afterward that he is looking to improve his overall game in the second half of the season.
“At the end of the day, I just gotta play better, regardless of the stuff that I can’t control. At the end of the day, I gotta play better,” Hart said. “It’s something that I’ve struggled with this year and haven’t been able to put good games together. I gotta find a way to bring that energy every night, on a daily basis.”
Hart, who signed a four-year contract extension worth $81 million in August, had said in late November that he wasn’t feeling as “included” in the offense this year, although he later clarified that he was “not disgruntled” with his role.
His largest statistical slippage this season has come from beyond the 3-point arc.
He entered Thursday shooting 31.9 percent from deep (34-for-112) for the season — including 3-for-19 over his previous seven games — after connecting on a whopping 51.9 percent in 25 games with the Knicks after the trade last spring.
Hart’s averages also are down in rebounds (7.0 to 6.4 per game), assists (3.6 to 2.7), steals (1.4 to 0.8) and overall field-goal percentage (.586 to .440) since last season.
Still, Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau pointed to Hart’s net rating of 6.7 — third-best on the current roster behind newcomer OG Anunoby (23.6 through nine games) and Isaiah Hartenstein (9.0) — as a reason he’s not concerned with Hart’s play.
“I think you guys know how I feel about the most-important rating there is, is your net rating,” Thibodeau said of the metric that measures point differential when you’re on the floor per 100 possessions., “And so, that tells you the impact that you’re having on the team when you’re on the floor. And he’s at the top of the list, even though he’s not — I don’t know if you can measure it by points or field-goal percentage.
“What’s happening when he’s on the floor? That’s still very strong. That’s where I want him to focus. Just keep moving forward. You can play well without shooting well. I’m not worried about his shooting. I know that’s gonna come around. Help us in all the ways that you help us: rebounding the ball, pushing the ball on the break, hustling, getting deflections, guarding multiple positions. Those are some types of things that are hard to measure but it brings great value to your team. And that’s really why he’s here.”
Regarding his knee, Hart said before Thursday’s game that it’s something he’s managed before.
He also reiterated that he had a shorter offseason following his first career postseason action and a stint with Team USA at the FIBA World Cup.
“I just woke up with a little bit of soreness. Obviously, just rest it today,” Hart said. “[Friday] I think we’re off from practice so I’m gonna get treatment. Then, try to get ready for Saturday’s game [at MSG against the Raptors].”
Hart added his knee “got a little more sore and a little more achy” in the past week, but he’s played through similar issues in past seasons.
“I’m not surprised with how it feels. Normally, once you get later in the season, Game 50-ish, 55-60 you start kind of feeling it,” Hart said. “Then you have a little All-Star break so you can kind of rest for some days and then get back into it.
“So I’m not surprised with the shorter summer that it’s kind of starting to bite me in the butt a little bit a little earlier than it normally does. But it’s not something that is too serious.”