Josh Hart Clears Stance on Surgery Rumors as Knicks Get Major Injury Update on 2 Key Players

Since joining the Knicks, Josh Hart has turned into one of the most reliable players in the league. Last year, he missed only one game and averaged a career-high in minutes played. Of course, the increase in usage had a lot to do with the coaching style of Tom Thibodeau, who has constantly faced accusations of overexerting his players. Well, it looks like all that court time has finally begun catching up to Hart as he has been playing through a lingering knee injury this season, even leading to reports of him requiring an offseason surgery. However, the star guard might just have shut down those rumors!

New York Post’s Stefan Bondy reported that Hart “could potentially require a summer corrective procedure” on his right knee. Meanwhile, Josh neither confirmed nor denied it, saying, “I don’t know. We’ll see what it calls for at the end of the season.”

Even when a Knicks fan page posted the report on X, Hart cleared his stance with a brutal tweet, “Don’t listen to everything yall see. A lot of (cap emoji) out there.”

Despite dealing with right knee soreness, the veteran guard has not taken any time off this season. The only game he has missed so far was nearly two months ago, on December 19. Moreover, Hart is averaging more playing time than ever, at 37.6 minutes per game. Even his numbers have improved significantly from last season, averaging 14.4 points and nearly ten rebounds.

As expected, Josh’s primary focus right now is helping his team succeed. “Like I said before, I’m a servant to (my teammates) this year. I want to make sure I put these guys in the best situation. It’s not just for them. It’s also for (Tom Thibodeau). I want to make sure that I’m available to him, I want to make sure when I’m out there, I’m playing at a high level and playing the game the way I know how to play. If I’m out there, I’m healthy enough. And I’m good.”

So, even if he requires an offseason surgery (hopefully not!), Josh Hart will likely cross that bridge when he gets there.

Meanwhile, two other Knicks stars are also nearing their return from injury. OG Anunoby has been out for the last four games with a foot injury. And many expected him to sit out until April. But turns out, the sprain is more of an “irritating” injury than a structural damage, which means OG could return once the All-Star break is over. He even participated in Monday’s practice and was able to secure a questionable status for tonight’s Pacers clash, which is a good sign for his recovery.

On the other hand, Mitchell Robinson, who has not suited up this season recovering from an offseason surgery, is also reportedly getting closer to starting five-on-five practices. And the Knicks are targeting his return this month. Obviously, that would be a massive boost for the team heading into the second half as two key players will return fully healthy, ready for the playoffs.

However, these frequent injuries do put Thibs’ coaching style in question. Fortunately, his players are there to rescue him from these accusations.

Josh Hart shut down Tom Thibodeau narrative by pointing out People’s “Ignorance”

As expected, this is not the first time Coach Thibs has been accused of running his players into the ground. Even last season, the New York franchise was dealing with a ton of injuries by the time the postseason arrived. From Jalen Brunson to Julius Randle, a lot of star players were either playing injured or completely sidelined. That was one of the reasons they could not make it past the Conference Semis.

However, Josh Hart, who averaged 42.2 minutes of playing time during that run, defended his head coach. “You expect ignorance when people have no idea what goes on in this building. People love to have a narrative or label and they love to run with it. None of those guys are here watching us practice. None of those guys are watching what we do. At the end of the day, seventh year of my career, I probably had more off days [than] the other years. We don’t go contact in practice, but everyone thinks we do three-hour practices of scrimmaging.”

Josh continued, “It’s idiotic to put it on him. He’s not going to say anything about it. He’s going to take it on the chin and keep on moving.”

Well, it looks like the players have no issue with Thibodeau’s method. Moreover, the head coach has proven that his method leads to wins as the Knicks are currently ranked third in the East and are among legitimate title contenders. Maybe, that’s why players do not mind leaving it all on the hardwood for him.

What are your thoughts?