Josh Hart is OK with Knicks bringing him along slowly in preseason

GREENBURGH — In the micro, Josh Hart sees his teammates. He sees them practicing. He sees them having already played a preseason game. He sees them readying for a season in which external expectations are high.

He sees the macro, as well.

Which is why Hart is not panicking about the organization’s decision to bring him along slowly following an off-season in which the Knicks’ multifaceted apparatus played for Team USA in the FIBA World Cup.

“At the end of the day, you [have] to put the big picture in perspective and the goal,” Hart said after limited practice participation Thursday at the MSG Training Center.  “Not really too worried about it.”  

Neither is his coach.

“He did a little bit of practice,” said coach Tom Thibodeau. “About half the practice. We didn’t have a lot of contact today, so he was able to do most of that.”

As such, Thibodeau did not rule out the possibility of Hart playing in Saturday’s preseason game against Minnesota at the Garden.

“We’ll see where we are,” Thibodeau said. “I want to see what he looks like tomorrow, how he [responds] to today. It looked like he moved really well today so I was encouraged by that. [I] want to see tomorrow when he comes in, if he feels the same way.”

The primary reason why neither Hart nor Thibodeau are publicly expressing concern is due to the fact that the 28-year-old was named to Team USA on July 6 and played in four of the five showcase games prior to the World Cup, and all eight tournament games.

Hart averaged 5.1 points and 5.3 rebounds in 18 minutes for Team USA, which finished fourth.

“The good thing about what transpired this summer is he played a lot,” Thibodeau said. “Not in the sense that he played a lot of minutes for [Team] USA because he played less than half a game, but the fact that he was playing. Most players are conditioning, shooting, individual work; it’s not team competition and scrimmaging, particularly at a high level like that.

"There’s nothing that can replicate a game. And so, the fact that he did that, in just looking at the conditioning, where he is he’s in good shape. So I feel good about that. And we just want to make sure he’s as healthy as possible. So most of the stuff that we’re doing with him is more precautionary than anything else.”  

The 28-year-old Hart became something of a spark plug for the Knicks after being acquired in a four-team trade involving Portland, Charlotte, and Philadelphia on Feb. 9. Hart averaged 10.2 points and seven rebounds per game in the 25 regular season games he played with the Knicks. Hart played in all 11 playoff games and averaged 10.4 points and 7.4 rebounds.  

All of which earned Hart a four-year, $80.92 million extension with the Knicks, who have slotted the 6 '4, 215-pounder as the backup power forward.  

It is, as Hart made abundantly clear, not an unfamiliar role.

“I did it my whole career,” Hart said. “...I backed up two, three, four; started two, three, four, whatever it was. So I know some people aren’t familiar with that but it’s something I’m comfortable with.”