Josh Hart's leadership has been crucial to Knicks' resurgence

Firmly bouncing back from their sluggish start to the season, the New York Knicks are in third place in the Eastern Conference. Tom Thibodeau's team finally looks like a cohesive unit, with Mikal Bridges and Karl-Anthony Towns established within the rotation.

As such, the Knicks have been stringing together some impressive runs. Their current style of play has multiple sections of the NBA fanbase wondering whether New York will face the Boston Celtics in a potential Eastern Conference Finals matchup.

Josh Hart's play and leadership have been significant to the Knicks' resurgence and togetherness. Since arriving with the franchise in 2023, Hart has become the team leader. Hart embraces the on-court physicality, does the little things that don't appear in the box score, and, most importantly, leads his teammates.

“We do the same thing as always," Hart said following the Knicks 112-98 win over the Toronto Raptors. "We have a couple bad games, a couple losses in a row and all y'all cry about minutes, be the minute police and all that,” he said. “That’s all outside noise. We’re gonna play the game the way we’re supposed to play it. We’re gonna play as hard as we can when we’re out there."

Hart's no-nonsense approach has quickly endeared him to New York's fanbase: his physical defense and commitment to playing within the margins rather than needing the ball to dominate games. His presence has become so important that New York is -6 points worse when he's off the court and would be expected to be -10 in projected wins.

Thibodeau has figured out how to bring the best out of Hart, and in return, Hart is getting the best out of New York. He's become the team's heartbeat. If he can stay healthy, his presence will become a considerable weapon for the Knicks during the postseason, especially as they navigate the deeper rounds.