Josh Hart’s finger stays a lingering concern because the Knicks open coaching camp at their Tarrytown facility.
The veteran wing underwent a process in June to restore the ring finger on his proper hand however revealed Tuesday at Knicks Media Day that he re-aggravated the damage throughout the offseason. He now expects to play your entire 2025–26 marketing campaign with the finger in a splint.
“I’m just trying to get used to it, and then get through the season with it,” Hart stated. “I don’t wanna go into too much detail, but I obviously got a procedure on it and then kinda re-aggravated it somewhat recently. So probably just rock out with a splint this season and try to fix it again next summer.”
Whether or not the damage will have an effect on his efficiency stays to be seen.
“I hope not. I’m still trying to figure it out. Me personally, I hate playing with anything on my hand. I don’t feel like I have a good feel for it,” he stated. “It might take a little getting used to, but that’s the best scenario for me right now and I want to be out there with these guys and I’m going to do everything I can to be out there with these guys.”
Hart stated he’ll purpose to regulate throughout the season earlier than revisiting the concept of surgical procedure earlier than the subsequent offseason — which might spell bother as he’s a key piece on a Knicks crew competing for a title this yr.
“It’s something that a lot of people have it. I don’t think about it too much. I just try to go out there and play how I play, and if I can’t play how I play and be aggressive and kind of have that toughness mentality I normally play with, then I have to figure out a different path,” he stated. “However proper now, the total expectation is to go on the market and hoop and assist this crew achieve success and on the finish of the yr — [maybe I will get surgery] when I’ve some downtime and I truly know what’s improper as an alternative of final yr pondering it was one factor after which taking a break and getting again into basketball and it was worse than I assumed.
“With that being said, I’ll be good.”
Hart is coming off a profession yr, averaging 13.6 factors, 9.6 rebounds and 5.9 assists per sport whereas ending second within the league in whole minutes behind solely Mikal Bridges. Nonetheless, his standing within the beginning lineup stays fluid because the Knicks transition from Tom Thibodeau to new head coach Mike Brown.
Thibodeau began Hart for the whole lot of the 2024-25 season however turned to Mitchell Robinson within the beginning 5 after the Knicks fell into an 0–2 gap within the Jap Convention Finals towards the Indiana Pacers. Brown has emphasised a need to play quick — a mode that fits Hart’s bodily, uptempo sport — however has but to outline his beginning lineup.
“If I don’t start, I’ll probably ask for a trade, go somewhere else,” Hart joked.
“Nah — I had the best year of my career last year, but that’s in the past. I think I’m a starter in the league. I think I deserve to be a starter in the league, but at the end of the day, it’s what’s best for the team,” he stated. “Final yr, I talked about sacrifice the entire time and form of being that separate mentality and being a great steward of my items and people sorts of issues. So I feel it might be extraordinarily egocentric for me to go on the market and demand to begin and all these sorts of issues.
“So, whatever Mike wants to do or doesn’t wanna do, I’m cool with. And time will tell what that is, but I’m gonna figure it out. I’ll figure it out.”
