LOS ANGELES – Josh Hart's conundrum is juggling his prolonged knee pain and trying to fix his selfish three-point shot.
As Knicks revealed Thursday, the obvious solution of more practice is becoming more difficult while his knees scream for rest.
“I don't think we'll be able to add extra work like we did earlier this year. The mechanics are off,” Hart said. “I think it's pretty much what it's, tweaks here, tweaks there. Obviously you've made those tweaks and it only solidifies through iteration.
“If you can't do it again, obviously it's hard to solidify it.”
Heart's 3-point efficiency has declined deeply for more than a month. He has only shot 15.7% in his last 13 appearances since February 12th, including only 7-1.
The drop coincided with two games: Heart's knee flare-up and All-Star break in Patelofemoral pain syndrome, also known as the runner's knee.
Recently, Heart has appeared in injuries reports due to exudation or swelling in the knee.
“I'm off a few days, I feel good, I get outside and shoot for 10 minutes, then bulge again,” Hart said. “It's a constant process of playing, resting, removing that inflammation, cutting and pasting it, and continuing with it.”
Still, Hart missed just two games this season, finishing third in the NBA on Thursday, taking part in a total of minutes played behind only Mikal Bridge and Anthony Edwards.
He also enjoyed his best offensive season without a doubt, but averaged 14.4 points, 9.6 rebounds and 5.7 assists.
However, the Heart's three-point firing has recently fallen under the microscope due to attempts and reduced efficiency.
As a result, the defense is more comfortable, leaving the hearts open at the boundary, hurting New York's five out interval.
“If I'm there, I'm healthy enough. I think I had to sacrifice some of my other pieces. “I value availability more than everything else. Do I need to think about where I should ramp up my court work or what I have to put out something to make sure I get sharp? Now it's that constant battle. I'm trying to figure out the balance between giving myself a rest and taking that rest, but I'm trying to sharpen it.”
In the playoffs over a month away, Hart discusses the best approach. Should he be more concerned about his knees and his shots?
“After the game, it's difficult to rely on feelings, swelling, and all of you go out and get a rep and shoot 100, 200, 300 threes,” Hart said. “So sometimes I have to sacrifice it. It's not just a bit of confidence (because it's a factor), but it also has a negative effect. You're not that sharp.
“Maybe I need to flip it over or get a better balance on that front and get to the end of the year.”
Still, Hart doesn't want to attach his personal success specifically to his shots. He also evolved into one of the team's top facilitators, finishing fifth on the team in his game-by-game shot attempts.
“You saw me going out there, I didn't have 10 points and 10 rebounds, you're going, he didn't have a good day. But you don't understand everything else, that human aspect,” Hart said. “You don't know the role you play behind the scenes. For me, I'm a connector. So, sometimes I have to sacrifice things to make sure other people are involved. People don't see that. They just look at the numbers and try to piece things together, but they don't realize that everything isn't just a cut and paste.
“There are other roles that need to make sure everyone around you is good.”
