Knicks’ struggles without Josh Hart a telling tale

The Knicks have felt the absence of Josh Hart, and the numbers back it up.

Hart has missed eight games with a right ankle sprain, and New York has gone 3–5 during that stretch, including losses in five of its last six. The do-everything wing could return as soon as Sunday when the Knicks visit the Trail Blazers, according to Stefan Bondy of the New York Post.

Hart sounded close and very much himself when asked about the injury.

“I’ll be back at some point. We’ll see. Pretty good little sprain,” Hart said. “If this is my left ankle, I’m back by now. But I haven’t had many good ankle sprains on my right. This was a good one. After this, I won’t have any ligaments to sprain. So I’ll be solid.”

The Knicks have missed Hart’s impact across the board. He provides rebounding, perimeter defense, secondary playmaking, and a steady edge that doesn’t always show up in the box score but tends to matter when games tighten.

With New York slipping a bit in the standings and searching for stability, getting Hart back in the mix sooner rather than later would qualify as more than just a minor boost.