Josh Hart’s – From bouncing between teams early to finding stability in New York, Josh Hart is doing the kind of work that rarely fills highlight reels—while the Knicks climb out of a 29-point hole and stay one win from their first championship since 1973.
SAN ANTONIO – Josh Hart didn’t arrive in the NBA with a straight line. In his first two seasons he played for the Los Angeles Lakers, then he spent two-plus seasons with the New Orleans Pelicans. After that came a season-and-a-half with the Portland Trail Blazers.
By the time he reached the New York Knicks in 2022, Hart points out he’d already cycled through his sixth coach in his first six seasons.
“I’ve always talked about how I had a lot of instability,” Hart said Friday. “I was just kind of looking for a home and stability. and I found that in New York. obviously first with Thibs (ex-Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau) and now with (Knicks coach) Mike (Brown). I think the city really embraced me, my style of play, me as a person. When you do that, you feel like you’re able to go out there and play your best.”.
That stability has mattered for a Knicks team that’s carrying something bigger than momentum into the 2026 NBA Finals. New York has already completed the biggest Finals comeback ever after recovering from a 29-point deficit to take a 3-1 lead against the Spurs.
The Knicks are now one victory from their first NBA championship since 1973. Game 5 is Saturday in San Antonio (8:30 p.m., ABC).
On a roster built for collective talent, Hart is the kind of piece that turns “good” into “necessary.” The series lead is the scoreboard story—but Hart’s contributions have helped create the conditions where New York could keep fighting back and then keep control.
Calling Hart a “glue guy” doesn’t capture it, because the impact isn’t only one category. It’s points, but it’s also passes, rebounds, and defense—plus the smaller, harder-to-measure movements that don’t always show up cleanly when games end.
In the playoffs, Hart is averaging 10.3 points, 8.8 rebounds, 4.7 assists, and 1.8 steals. Over the past 3 1/2 seasons with the Knicks, he’s been a vital contributor to New York’s success, including three consecutive 50-win seasons and a 53-29 record in 2025-26.
A traditional box score can tell part of the story. Hart has long understood that his value can be wider than the numbers you can circle.
He first picked that up at Villanova, playing college basketball for Jay Wright. Hart said Wright emphasized “competitive will” and making “the plays that go beyond the box score.”
“Coach Wright did a really good job of emphasizing that competitive will, making the plays that go beyond the box score,” Hart said. “I think you see it with a lot of Villanova guys in the league. A lot of them make those kinds of plays. They don’t show up on the box score.
“It really started at ‘Nova, and then when you do something for four years, it kind of just sticks with you.”
In this Finals, some of those “beyond the box score” details show up in the expanded 2026 data. Hart has contested seven shots, recovered an offensive loose ball, and made a deflection. There’s also a matchup note that looks like a footnote until you watch it enough times: the 2-for-8 3-point shooting by the Spurs with Hart defending in Game 4.
In Game 1, the sequence was a reminder of how impact can run through a game without ever being fully captured by shooting lines. The Knicks beat the Spurs 105-95. Hart finished 1-for-5 from the field and 0-for-3 on 3-pointers, scoring three points.
But his stat line beyond scoring told a different story. He had 15 rebounds, six assists, four steals, and one block. In his 27 minutes on the court, the Knicks outscored San Antonio by 22 points. He also had two screen assists—defined as the number of times an offensive player sets a screen for a teammate that directly leads to a made field goal by that teammate—along with three deflections. and he held Spurs guard Stephon Castle to 1-for-3 shooting.
Knicks coach Mike Brown said Hart “impacted the game in so many different ways” and pointed out that if you only looked at what Hart shot, “you wouldn’t think that he was probably the most impactful guy on the game last night.”
Jalen Brunson put it more simply.
“That’s just who he is. He’s always been that way. I can’t explain it. He just has a knack for doing things like that, and in crucial times, as well. It’s a credit to who he is as a player.”
Hart’s approach isn’t about pretending roles don’t matter. He’s realistic about who he is as a basketball player. and he understands the adage: “Be a star in your role.” That mindset comes with a kind of tension—the urge to be seen on the biggest stage versus the discipline to do what the moment requires.
Hart said it takes humility and sacrifice, especially when the Finals place millions of viewers in front of the players.
“It takes humility and just a willingness to sacrifice,” Hart said. “We’re in the NBA Finals. There are millions of people watching. It’s easy to get wrapped up in human nature of wanting to get recognition, wanting to score the ball, wanting to show people what you can do on the biggest stage.
“That’s not everyone’s calling and not everyone’s assignment. I know for me, that’s not really my assignment. It takes a little bit of time to find that humility. For me, I found that with prayer and my faith.”
There’s also a personal layer to this Knicks identity—a trio built on Villanova roots. Hart is part of the ‘Nova Knicks along with Jalen Brunson and Mikal Bridges. They won a national championship for Villanova in 2016, while Brunson and Bridges won another in 2018.
Brunson and Bridges remind Hart he has only one national championship compared to their two. The teasing has become a routine, the kind that plays like comedy in a news conference because they’re friends off the court.
Hart leaned into it with honesty that sounds like laughter.
“I hated Jalen,” Hart said. “I thought he was one of those annoying five-star recruits that come in entitled. Unfortunately, he was the opposite, and we sparked a friendship. We’re still friends to this day. Yeah, we still keep in touch. But that’s what my thought process was. I hated him to start, hated him during his visit. Probably the beginning of his freshman year, hated him.”.
He said Bridges was the same.
“Mikal was the same way. I hated him, too. He came in, we obviously played a similar position, especially in college, and he was weaker, more frail than I was, so he would grab me and I hated it. Obviously love those guys now.”
The Knicks are one win away from a championship that hasn’t come since 1973. and they’re doing it with a roster that’s learning to trust the unglamorous work as much as the stars. Hart’s contributions—rebounding. defending. setting screens that turn into points. contesting shots. recovering loose balls—are the kind that keep breaking games open.
In the Finals, those details aren’t background noise. They’re the difference between surviving and controlling the next possession.
Josh Hart New York Knicks San Antonio Spurs 2026 NBA Finals Game 5 29-point deficit comeback 3-1 series lead Jalen Brunson Mikal Bridges Mike Brown Tom Thibodeau Stephon Castle
So he’s basically like the Knicks’ good luck charm?
29-point hole?? That’s insane. Josh Hart sounds like he’s been shuffled around forever though, like why did it take him so long to find “stability.”
Wait I thought Hart was on the Lakers longer, like wasn’t he already there with LeBron?? Also the article says sixth coach in six seasons, so that’s definitely the reason they’re winning now right? Coaches change and then suddenly boom Finals.
I don’t even care about the highlight stuff, but if they’re one win from a chip since 1973 then yeah I’m watching. The coach thing is wild though, six coaches?? That’s like… everybody in the league rotates faster than my job schedule. Hope Mike Brown actually keeps them steady instead of moving everybody again.