Knicks' Josh Hart missing beat without Jalen Brunson

Josh Hart knows he has to do better.

The Knicks don’t have a timetable yet for Jalen Brunson’s return, meaning everyone else has to continue to step up as their floor leader heals from the ankle sprain he suffered March 6 in an overtime loss to the Lakers.

Heading into Monday night’s game against Miami, the Knicks were 2-2 in the four games since the Lakers game, and no one has struggled more in Brunson’s absence than Hart, his closest friend on the team.

In particular, Hart’s offensive production has taken a huge hit.

In his first 59 games this season, Hart made a career-high 54.7% of his field-goal attempts and averaged 14.5 points. In the first four games since the Brunson injury, however, he is shooting 35.6% and averaging 10.8 points.

His offensive struggles came to a head in the Knicks’ 97-94 loss to Golden State on Saturday. Hart was held scoreless in 39 minutes, going 0-for-7 from the floor. In a tight fourth quarter, he turned the ball over, missed a layup and then missed a 9-footer that would have tied the score with just over three minutes left.

“I’ve just got to do a better job of finding spots to be successful,” he said after the game.

Hart’s struggles have become a hot topic during the past two days as a heated exchange between him and coach Tom Thibodeau was shown on camera. In the exchange, a ticked-off Thibodeau could be seen yelling “Do your [expletive] job!” at Hart, who had to be calmed by the Knicks’ assistant coaches.

After the game, both Thibodeau and Hart attributed the exchange to frustration in the heat of the moment.

Said Hart: “I love Thibs.”

Said Thibodeau: “I love Josh.”

Neither seems to love the way Hart has been shooting since Brunson went out, though. Hart said he’s still adjusting to the way his role has changed and added that it’s up to him to figure it out.

“I think it’s just a difference in the flow of the game,” Hart said. “Without 11, sometimes we’re not as organized . . . The ball screen by myself is in more actions. Now the role is a little bit different, more catch and shoot. I’m trying to figure out how to be effective in that way.

“When an integral part of the team goes down, it’s a different vibe, a different flow of the game. I’ve got to do a better job of finding myself, finding my game, in that flow. It’s something that I haven’t been used to the last year and a half or two years. But I’ve just got to do a better job of finding spots to be successful.”

Thibodeau is confident that Hart will make the adjustments he needs to make.

“He helps this team in so many different ways. It’s his hustle, it’s his defense, it’s his playmaking, it’s his rebounding, his pace,” Thibodeau said. “No one is going to shoot great for 82 games. If you’re not shooting well, just do the other stuff.

“Normally, that’s his game. He’s hustling, he’s getting the layups, he’s pushing pace. All over the place, loose balls and stuff like that. Sometimes it may not go as well as you would like, but you got to keep going.”

To be fair, it’s not just Hart. The Knicks’ offense as a whole is struggling to get used to playing without the captain.

For most of the season, the Knicks’ high-octane offense — they entered Monday averaging 116.7 points, seventh best in the league — has been their calling card.

They were averaging 117.2 points per game before Brunson got hurt, but in the first four games since his injury, they averaged 109.0 points, which was fourth-worst in the league in that time span.

“We’re struggling offensively,” Hart said. “I don’t think that’s a secret. With more reps, more time getting organized, getting in play calls, those kinds of things, I think everything will flourish. It’s just the growing pains of trying to figure it out as a team and also individually, I’ve got to be better.”

By Barbara Barker

barbara.barker@newsday.commeanbarb

Barbara Barker is an award-winning columnist and features writer in the sports department at Newsday. She has covered sports in New York for more than 20 years.