Knicks Star Reveals Offseason Surgery

Hart's right ring finger — on his shooting hand — looked somewhat out of place as he spoke at the tip of Knicks' training camp, which is underway in Tarrytown as the team preps for a Abu Dhabi doubleheader at the start of next month, one that will have them facing the Philadelphia 76ers in a series of exhibitions.

Hart was a mainstay in the Knicks' starting lineup last season and took on some of the heaviest workloads in Manhattan all while developing a sterling reputation as a creator of hustle plays and game-changing antics that didn't always show up in the box score. He was nonetheless well-compensated in the latter category, however, posting nine triple-doubles in 2024-25 to break a single-season long held by Walt "Clyde" Frazier.

Things were somewhat stifled, however, during the Eastern Conference Finals against the Indiana Pacers, which saw Hart shoot less than 19 percent from three-point range. He eventually accepted a relative demotion during the series, as he was removed from the opening five in favor of tenured center Mitchell Robinson.

Time will tell if the nagging ailment forces Hart to take a relative vacation, which could come if new head coach Mike Brown's vision of an expanded lineup comes to fruition: over his first two full years as a Knick, the hustler, Villanova alum, and podcast host has missed only five games and he led the Association in minutes per game (37.6) last season, the final Knicks watch of Tom Thibodeau.