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Nov 2, 2025; New York, New York, USA; New York Knicks guard Josh Hart (3) shoots the ball during the second half against the Chicago Bulls at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

Knicks' Josh Hart Finally Snaps Struggles in Bulls Win

Originally posted on New York Knicks on SI
By Henry Brown | Last updated Nov 3, 2025 3:00 PM ET

Sooner or later, the New York Knicks were going to start needing some scoring support from their bench.

They entered the season with the on-paper talent to soften such an ask, the sort of request that former head coach Tom Thibodeau never seemed all too interested in delving into. Jalen Brunson, Karl-Anthony Towns and a few of their other fringe-All-Stars can meet just about any team in the NBA on a given night, but they'll need the buckets to keep coming when their core takes their breathers.

They expressed that interest in the offseason, when New York's shuffling of the lineup's edge corresponded with that increased attention to rounding out the rotation. Mike Brown and his more traditional approach to bench subs looked like the man to fully utilize the pieces at his disposal, and the front office has given him some to work with.

Developing a Newly-Deep Rotation

Guerschon Yabusele and Jordan Clarkson came to the Knicks as two of their marquee free agents, proven bench contributors with real chances to translate strong spacing into the reserve pool. They've each struggled to get antiquated with the offense, though, with Yabusele's occasionally falling out of the lineup overshadowing Clarkson's typically-streaky play.

The Knicks may have won their first two games of the season, but the thinner-than-expected cast of role players couldn't help but drop their next three games in a row. That's where Josh Hart, fresh off of missing the season-opener, was expected to come in handy, but he, too, toiled away from the field.

New York Knicks Guard Josh Hart Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images

He hasn't enjoyed a smooth transition into his new bench role, the sort of adjustment that Brown deemed necessary in attempting to translate increased size to the starting lineup while adding Hart's energy and hustle to the first few off the bench. He'd sunk just four of the 19 shots he'd attempted through the first four games, and doing little to ease Brunson's scoring load.

The slow start made his 14 points over the weekend feel that much bigger, his best outing as the team's new sixth man.

"Just trying to get back to being myself," he said directly following a 128-116 win over the Chicago Bulls. "Playing with joy, having fun out there, and just being myself...We just wanted to come in and bring energy...everyone that came in contributed on both sides of the court."

Josh Hart on his best game of the season so far and the bench coming up big in the @nyknicks handing the Bulls their first loss.@BillPidto | #NewYorkForever pic.twitter.com/V0ZZSZEM32
— KNICKS ON MSG (@KnicksMSGN) November 3, 2025

Hart's Multidimensional Breakthrough

This win was a bit more meaningful than the subdued Hart let on, as playing the way in which he described has reportedly been an uphill battle for the veteran wing. He'd spent years earning a starter status before seeing his defined role and characteristically-hefty minutes burden lessened, which he's admitted to struggling with adjusting to as someone looking for consistency.

He's also dealing with significant nerve pain, the sort of issue that isn't going anywhere for someone who hates missing time as much as he does. He's toughing it out for the team, though, and his 5/10 shooting performance was enough to get the contenders back on track while finally slowing down the previously-undefeated Bulls in a rematch.

This article first appeared on New York Knicks on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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