How Knicks Josh Hart became one of the NBAs premier coast-to-coast finishers

May 30, 2024

LOS ANGELES — Josh Hart didn’t have a fast break, but he created one anyway.

To close the first quarter of a recent game against the Brooklyn Nets, Hart snagged a defensive rebound with most of his New York Knicks teammates already behind him. Four Brooklyn players stood in his way. The game was becoming a blowout. Four seconds later, it was clear it would stay that way.

Hart weaved through the quartet of Nets and finished an easy, lefty layup to put the Knicks up 18. The 26-year-old had somehow created the formerly unheard-of one-on-four fast break, a testament to Brooklyn’s lackadaisical defense that evening but also to Hart, who has turned into one of the NBA’s premier coast-to-coast attackers.

“It’s what I do,” Hart said. “It’s what I’m good at.”

It’s what he’s really good at.

Ask for a synopsis of Hart’s game, and most people will mention his rebounding first. Before Hart even joined the Knicks, head coach Tom Thibodeau called him the best-rebounding guard in the NBA. The way he hits the glass is his most-obvious elite skill. But what Hart does after grabbing boards, an artistry he first developed in high school, is equally as suave.

Just like on that play against the Nets, he’s off to the races. And those possessions often end with the ball going into the basket.

“Those are the toughest breaks to stop,” Thibodeau said. “And I think it starts with his rebounding so it doesn’t give the defense a chance to catch up, and he’s very explosive getting it up the floor quickly. I love the attack. It was something having coached against him that we were always concerned about.”

Hart averages a fiery 1.43 points per coast-to-coast play, according to information tracked by Second Spectrum. Think about it like this: that’s nearly the same efficiency as when an average free-throw shooter goes to the line for two shots. It’s good enough for fourth in the NBA among the qualifying 79 players. And every other player in Hart’s vicinity is a household name.

The top seven in coast-to-coast efficiency, in order: Kevin Durant, Trae Young, Donovan Mitchell, Hart, Kawhi Leonard, James Harden and Nikola Jokić. The other six guys have combined for 39 All-Star appearances, 27 All-NBA teams, four MVPs and four NBA Finals MVPs.

And then there’s Hart.

How did a role player infiltrate this list?

“He’s a lunatic,” Jalen Brunson said.

But as concise as the theory from Hart’s former college teammate is, there’s more to it than loose screws.

“I always wanted to be one of the better finishing guards in the league,” Hart said.

Heading into Thursday night’s game, Hart was shooting 71 percent at the rim this season, sixth in the league among guards who take as many shots in the restricted area as he does.

“(It’s) angles, knowing the angles, also knowing when to attack,” Knicks teammate RJ Barrett said on Josh Hart. “A lot of times he gets the rebound and he goes.” (Nathaniel S. Butler / NBAE via Getty Images)

Many of those successful lay-ins come in transition.

Hart darts to long rebounds, which gives him a head start on the defense. He’s fast in the open court. No one would confuse his highlight reel for an And1 mixtape, but he’s a top-notch finisher, even if he doesn’t bust out the frilly moves.

“I don’t have to do all the cute, fancy s—,” Hart said. “Two points for me is two points, and that’s just kinda the way I take it.”

He has a little Eurostep he’ll go to, a sweep-through that draws him fouls or evades defenders who know it’s coming but struggle to do anything about it. But otherwise, Hart’s layups are flashlessly fundamental. He goes straight up off his inside foot, arm arced, knees bent, his form the same as if he were in a pregame layup line. And he does that whether there’s a defender in his way or not.

It helps that he can grab and go like he’s at a CIBO Express Gourmet Market. Once he’s in the open court, he can pinpoint a vulnerable backpedaller.

“(It’s) angles, knowing the angles, also knowing when to attack,” RJ Barrett said. “A lot of times he gets the rebound and he goes. While everybody is trying to figure out and scramble, he kind of attacks and it’s just one-on-one and he gets the layup.”

Barrett knows how it works, too. The Knicks may play slowly — opting for a more prodding, isolation-heavy offense — but they still want their rebounders to charge the other way.

They encourage four of the five starters to push it after grabbing defensive boards. Only Mitchell Robinson looks to outlet the ball every time. Two of their reserves, Immanuel Quickley and Hart, can do it, too. Every once in a while, Obi Toppin will dabble.

The days of a center or forward corralling a miss and looking to outlet, no matter what, are long gone. This is a more egalitarian NBA. The Knicks are embracing it. As a team, they have the second-most coast-to-coast shot attempts in the NBA, per Second Spectrum. Only the Milwaukee Bucks are ahead, thanks to the existence of two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo, who unsurprisingly decimates the field in this category.

Hart has been a seamless fit in New York (39-29), closing games since Day 1. He’s helping their rebounding on both ends, manning dangerous perimeter scorers and mucking up games in ways the Knicks prefer. And add this to the list: When an opponent misses a shot, the basketball often ends up in his hands. And when it does, beware.

“I know how I play and how Thibs coaches in his system,” Hart said. “It fits and coincides very well. So, it’s just like, I’m gonna win playing my game. It’s good being over here.”

(Top photo of Josh Hart: Nathaniel S. Butler / NBAE via Getty Images)

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