Knicks' Josh Hart Opens Up About Knee Injury

Josh Hart's return was one of the few things that went right for the New York Knicks over the weekend.

Feb 23, 2025; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; New York Knicks guard Josh Hart (3) defends Boston Celtics guard Jaylen Brown (7) during the first half at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Bob DeChiara-Imagn Images / Bob DeChiara-Imagn Images

Not much went right for the New York Knicks over the weekend but Josh Hart was a welcome exception.

Hart returned to action after a two-game absence on Sunday against the Boston Celtics at TD Garden. He proved to be one of the best things the Knicks had going for them, as he was one assist short of a triple-double in a 118-105 defeat.

“I thought his activity was great,” head coach Tom Thibodeau said of Hart, he of 20 points and 11 rebounds, on Sunday, per Stefan Bondy of the New York Post. “Running into pick-and-rolls, generating advantages, he got into the pocket some, we were able to get points in a paint off that. So I like the way he played a lot.”

Feb 23, 2025; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; New York Knicks guard Josh Hart (3) looks to pass the ball past Boston Celtics center Kristaps Porzingis (8) and h9#@ during the first half at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Bob DeChiara-Imagn Images / Bob DeChiara-Imagn Images

Already burdened with their highly-publicized struggles against elite competition (now 0-7 against the top three teams on the Association leaderboard), Knicks fans had justified panic when Hart missed the first two games with knee soreness after the All-Star break. Hart is well-known for taking on massive workloads and missed only two games in his prior full season-plus with the Knicks, so his absence enforced by patellofemoral pain syndrome (commonly referred to as runner's knee) was no doubt a cause for concern.

Hart did what he could to soothe those concerned in the somber aftermath, stating that his two-game shutdown was more precautionary and stems from continued adjustment to a knee procedure he underwent as a member of the Los Angeles Lakers in 2019. Hart referred to such pain as something that "comes and goes," according to Bondy's report.

“It was a pain, it was a struggle for me to even jog to half-court, and now I’m playing 48 minutes for Tom Thibodeau. So there’s peaks and valleys with it," Hart said. "[I'm] not really worried about it. All the time I pray for it before every game. By His grace I’m healed so I go out there and play my game.”

Divine intervention and his tireless work ethic should have Hart ready to go for the Knicks' stretch run, which continues with a Wednesday visit from the Philadelphia 76ers (7 p.m. ET, MSG/ESPN).

“I just felt ... a couple more days of rest obviously would benefit my knee,” Hart said, per Bondy. “So that’s something that we all came to an agreement on. Now it’s back to the regular scheduled program.”

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