Josh Hart, New York Knicks. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
1: Will Josh Hart sneak into the starting lineup?
Tom Thibodeau isn’t a coach that likes to make changes to his rotations often unless there’s an injury, but that hasn’t stopped Knicks fans from speculating on whether or not Josh Hart will slide into the starting lineup.
The 27-year-old couldn’t have had a better start with New York. He’s only played in three games but is averaging 17 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 3.7 assists while shooting 62.1% from the field and 64.3% from three as a Knick. Fans knew that the team would be getting a good rebounder, defender, and scorer in Hart, but what they didn’t expect was for him to be the threat that he’s been from deep.
Meanwhile, RJ Barrett has struggled to be consistent. He finished with 17 points in the win over the Hawks but shot 6-of-16 from the floor and 0-of-6 from deep. Some fans want to see him go to the bench, but it’s hard to envision that happening. If Hart does become a starter, he’d likely replace Quentin Grimes, whose shot has been off as well.
However, the thing is that Hart-Hartenstein-Quickley coming off the bench has been a lethal combination for the Knicks. If it isn’t broken, don’t fix it, right?
While it wouldn’t be surprising for Hart to replace Grimes in the starting lineup, don’t expect for that to happen. Fans will have to wait and see how it all plays out.
for Josh Hart</a>. He’s played in only three games for New York, but Hart’s proven to be a key addition to the roster.</p>
<p>Sitting No. 6 in the East, the Knicks appear to be on the up. With 22 games left to play, New York could finish in the top six, good enough to secure a playoff berth after missing the play-in tournament last season. Fans have a lot to be excited about.</p>
<p>There are still a few days left until the Knicks will take the court again, so let’s take a look at three questions that will be answered after the team returns from the break.</p>
<h2>3 Knicks questions that will be answered after All-Star break</h2>
<h3>3: How good are the Knicks, really?</h3>
<p>New York’s win over Atlanta pushed Miami out of the No. 6 spot in the East. If the Knicks can manage to finish the season in the top six, they’ll automatically secure a spot in the playoffs without having to go through the play-in tournament.</p>
<p>After not trading for Donovan Mitchell over the offseason, many suspected that the Knicks would either be a play-in team or finish outside of the top 10 in the East. Jalen Brunson’s four-year contract in free agency was thought to be <a href=https://dailyknicks.com/2023/02/19/3-knicks-questions-answered-after-all-star-break/3/"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kvv19zLFPZ0%22 target="_blank" rel="noopener">an overpay</a>, but that hasn’t been the case. He’s been consistently great for New York, which is something that the team has missed at the point guard position for decades.</p>
<p>Julius Randle has rebounded from a disappointing 2021-22 season back to his All-Star form. He’s having a better year than he did back in 2020-21 when he helped to guide the Knicks to a No. 4 finish in the East.</p>
<p>New York is starting to play its best basketball of the year at the right time. The season is far from over, but if the Knicks can continue to get it done on both ends of the floor, playoff basketball should make its return to MSG. If that happens, don’t be surprised if this team advances past the first round. These Knicks are different.</p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background: #007BC1" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://dailyknicks.com/2023/02/19/3-knicks-questions-answered-after-all-star-break/3/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> Mitch's long-awaited return </a>
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<img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-139759" src=https://dailyknicks.com/2023/02/19/3-knicks-questions-answered-after-all-star-break/3/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_2133,w_3200/https%3A%2F%2Fdailyknicks.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2023%2F02%2F1456281753.jpeg" alt="New York Knicks, Mitchell Robinson" width="3200" height="2133" srcset="https://dailyknicks.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2023/02/1456281753.jpeg 3200w, https://dailyknicks.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2023/02/1456281753-768x512.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 3200px) 100vw, 3200px"><p class="wp-caption-text">Mitchell Robinson, New York Knicks. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images)</p>
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<h3>2: Who will be cut out of the rotation when Mitchell Robinson returns?</h3>
<p>Mitchell Robinson fractured his thumb against Washington on Jan. 18 and had surgery to repair it on Jan. 19. SNY’s Ian Begley reported last week that the center was “making progress” but hasn’t been cleared for contact yet. Hopefully, he’ll be able to return 1-2 weeks after the break.</p>
<p>When Mitch is back, though, that’ll mean that another player will likely be removed from the rotation. Isaiah Hartenstein and Jericho Sims have been covering for Robinson in the meantime.</p>
<p>Josh Hart replaced Miles McBride in Tom Thibodeau’s nine-man rotation, so who will be next once Robinson returns? Will it be Sims, who wasn’t playing much before Mitch was injured? Or will it be Obi Toppin, a player Thibodeau has always been reluctant to give minutes to? If we had to guess, it’ll likely wind up being Sims.</p>
<p>New York was reportedly taking calls for Hartenstein leading up to the deadline, but that changed once he <a href=https://dailyknicks.com/2023/02/19/3-knicks-questions-answered-after-all-star-break/3/"https://nypost.com/2023/02/16/knicks-isaiah-hartenstein-continues-his-strong-play/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">started to improve</a> with Robinson out. He’s no Mitch, but he’ll likely go back to being Robinson’s primary backup once the Knicks’ starting center is healthy again. Unfortunately, that’d leave Sims as the odd man out.</p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background: #007BC1" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://dailyknicks.com/2023/02/19/3-knicks-questions-answered-after-all-star-break/3/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> The Josh Hart effect </a>
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<img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-139760" src=https://dailyknicks.com/2023/02/19/3-knicks-questions-answered-after-all-star-break/3/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_2284,w_3200/https%3A%2F%2Fdailyknicks.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2023%2F02%2F1466542831.jpeg" alt="New York Knicks, Josh Hart" width="3200" height="2284" srcset="https://dailyknicks.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2023/02/1466542831.jpeg 3200w, https://dailyknicks.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2023/02/1466542831-768x548.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 3200px) 100vw, 3200px"><p class="wp-caption-text">Josh Hart, New York Knicks. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)</p>
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<h3>1: Will Josh Hart sneak into the starting lineup?</h3>
<p>Tom Thibodeau isn’t a coach that likes to make changes to his rotations often unless there’s an injury, but that hasn’t stopped Knicks fans from speculating on whether or not Josh Hart will slide into the starting lineup.</p>
<p>The 27-year-old couldn’t have had a better start with New York. He’s only played in three games but is averaging 17 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 3.7 assists while shooting 62.1% from the field and 64.3% from three as a Knick. Fans knew that the team would be getting a good rebounder, defender, and scorer in Hart, but what they didn’t expect was for him to be <a href=https://dailyknicks.com/2023/02/19/3-knicks-questions-answered-after-all-star-break/3/"https://dailyknicks.com/2023/02/15/josh-hart-reveals-hot-knicks-start-leaving-blazers/">the threat</a> that he’s been from deep.</p>
<p>Meanwhile, RJ Barrett has struggled to be consistent. He finished with 17 points in the win over the Hawks but shot 6-of-16 from the floor and 0-of-6 from deep. Some fans want to see him go to the bench, but it’s hard to envision that happening. If Hart does become a starter, he’d likely replace Quentin Grimes, whose shot has been off as well.</p>
<p>However, the thing is that Hart-Hartenstein-Quickley coming off the bench has been a lethal combination for the Knicks. If it isn’t broken, don’t fix it, right?</p>
<p>While it wouldn’t be surprising for Hart to replace Grimes in the starting lineup, don’t expect for that to happen. Fans will have to wait and see how it all plays out.</p>
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