In just his second game with the Knicks, Josh Hart scored a season-high 27 points on 10-for-14 shooting off the bench to help his new team take down the Nets on Monday night, 124-106.
Hart has already displayed the impact he can bring to a team, recording 38 points, 12 rebounds, six assists, and five steals over two games for New York since being acquired from the Portland Trail Blazers at the trade deadline.
After the win, head coach Tom Thibodeau spoke about the chemistry that Hart and Jalen Brunson have, dating back to their college days together, and went on to explain how Hart can be "the glue of your team."
"Villanova thing ... It's pretty easy to see," Thibodeau said. "I think he has really good chemistry with Julius [Randle] as well, they play together, but the thing with Jalen and he is to go through big moments and have the pressure of winning a National Championship together, I think that ties you together with that group forever. Their bond is special. The thing I love about what Josh does for the team is it's for the team, everything.
"I think there's a lot of guys that score points in this league and they really don't impact winning the way Josh impacts winning. Sometimes they're just tough plays, hustle play ... sprint back, steal the ball back, plays like that give your team a lot of confidence. It's a lot of dirty work, but it's also the glue of your team, it helps you stick together. There's going to be ups and downs during a game, a season, and those types of guys I think are the type that help you build a winning culture. We're thrilled obviously to have him."
Thibs was then asked what younger players like Quentin Grimes and Miles McBride can learn from Hart and the way he plays, saying that "his competitive spirit is special."
"Well, I think having the type of veteran player that Josh is, you can learn a lot from him," Thibodeau said. "I think watching how he plays, he can impact the game without even scoring. He can impact the game in so many different ways, whether it's his rebounding, his defense, his hustle, running the floor, attacking the rim. You don't have to shoot great every night to play well, and he's a perfect example of that.
"I think when you look at his career, every team, I know the teams that I was with since he's been in the league, we always had interest in him. Because if you coach against him or you play against him, those are the types of guys you respect. You respect a fierce competitor. And obviously he's got great talent, he wouldn't be here without great talent, but his competitive spirit is special."
Hart said after the win that having strong performances at The Garden is a different feeling than doing it anywhere else, and went on to discuss what it's felt like playing there as a Knick.
"Oh man, it's been amazing, this is MSG, this is the Mecca, the air is different out there," Hart said. "The New York fans -- they're amazing, they're behind us 100 percent, they're loud, they bring it every game. It's been amazing. Even better that we got two wins and now we just got to finish off this next one strong."
Hart and the Knicks will travel to Atlanta to play the Hawks on Wednesday before they get more than a week off for the All-Star break. He added that winning the last two games at home were huge, but they still need to finish strong against the Hawks.
"It feels good, I think the biggest thing is that we won, that we're 2-0, and I think that's the biggest thing that I want to do," Hart said. "I take on the role of kind of being that 'do-it-all' or that Swiss Army knife. Whatever we need that night, I feel like I can do. The fact that we're able to get those two wins at home, protect home, feels good. And now we got Atlanta on the road, we got to finish off the first part of this season strong."