Work hard, not smart, has been the New York Knicks’ blueprint since late January. While injuries to Julius Randle and OG Anunoby have kept their top stars out of the rotation, Tom Thibodeau has turned to his tried-and-true method of training his workers until they’re bone-tired. His most consistent minute eater of late has been Josh Hart. While most teams would tune their players in anticipation of the final stretch of the regular season and the opening rounds of the postseason, Thibs has taken a different approach. It’s not entirely his fault. The Knicks were so upset that Thibs returned to his roots by playing 40 minutes against Hart in eight straight games.
However, no one has played such minutes in consecutive weeks since James Harden in 2016. Josh Hart is in an exclusive club. An average of 40 minutes per night is a forbidden limit in the modern NBA, comparable to 16-hour factory shifts from the Great Depression era. You don’t want too many players getting injured on the job. But this is the same coach who played Luol Deng for so many minutes in 2012 that he not only led the league but also finished at the bottom leaking spinal fluid during the playoffs and Thibs Despite it trying to get him in uniform in time for the second round.
Without Anunoby, Hart has been putting up employee of the month numbers and still looks like he’s having too much fun trolling his opponents, but Thibs needs to relax here. There’s not as much at stake here as keeping Derrick Rose for the final minutes of a game clear playoff victory or trying to play Deng after losing 15 pounds, but Hart is the ultimate glue guy. Since Anunoby’s injury forced him into the starting lineup in late January, Hart has led the league in assists and rebounds and the NBA in minutes per game during that time.
Twenty years ago, no one would have batted an eyelid at a role player making this kind of effort, and in this era, no coach has been more resistant to giving his players a break than Thibodeau. Since sliding into second place, the Knicks have been plagued by injuries. They could assemble a full starting lineup of Knicks rotation players off the bench. When they come back, Tom Thibodeau is ready to bring them to their knees because that’s the Thibs way.
To show how bizarre it is for a player to exceed that 40 minute threshold, @AutomaticNBA detailed how unusual Hart’s run was. Twenty years ago, 18 players had eight consecutive games lasting 40 minutes or more. Kobe Bryant had a similar run in the 2012-13 season. Mike D’Antoni posted 40 points or more against him in seven straight games before suffering a torn Achilles tendon (due to overuse) later in the season.
Today’s NBA competition sees more ball possession, more movement and more mileage on players’ tires than ever before. It was Josh Hart overtime in a bargain deal worth $81 million. The 6-foot-1 shooting guard played small-ball power forward and that versatility increased his value.
Right now he is the hardest working man in the basketball business. Once the Knicks return to fitness, Hart will return to a do-it-all role off the bench. The downside to relying on Hart for so long every night is that it shows how much trouble the Knicks have been in. Relying on Jalen Brunson and a utility guy since Jan. 30, the Knicks have gone 6-9. Brunson missed about a week of basketball before returning to the lineup on Friday. When Randle, Anunoby and eventually Mitchell Robinson recover, Hart will return to the bench role and his minutes will be cut by about a third.
As for Thibodeau, his takeaway from this season is to pace his stars to keep them healthy, but who are we kidding? Some things never change.
Find DJ Dunson on X:@Brain sportsex