"I'll go cheerlead LeBron, Kevin Durant": Josh Hart gets real on Team USA Olympics selection, Knicks' 2023-24 season and more (Exclusive)
Sometimes, NBA players have a breakout season after playing for the U.S. National team in the summer. This year, New York Knicks guard Josh Hart represented a handful of players that showed fatigue at the beginning of the 2023-24 season.
“In the first 10-15 games, my body just wasn’t where it normally was,” Hart told Sportskeeda. “So, now I’m trying to get more sleep, take more naps and let my body rest on off days. I just try to get back to as my body can feel during the season.”
Josh Hart interview (Exclusive)
Hart spoke to Sportskeeda about adjusting to his new role, what makes teammate Jalen Brunson special and more.
Editor’s note: The following 1-on-1 interview has been edited and condensed.
How’s the season treating you so far?
Hart:
“Typical ups and downs of a season. But it’s cool.”
How have you managed it?
Hart:
“That’s a great question, but I don’t really have an answer. I’m taking it one day at a time to see what the vibe of the day is.”
How does your role this season compare to last season?
Hart:
“It’s a little different. But every year is different and every team is different. I’m trying to get used to a different role on a different team. I think I’m doing a solid job.”
I saw you mentioned about needing to get into a rhythm. How has that evolved?
Hart:
“There’s always ups and downs of it. To start the season, I wasn’t really in much of one in terms of just obviously having a long summer [with Team USA]. Normally, I have 2 ½ more months of rest, workouts and recovery, stuff like that. So the beginning [of the season] was definitely different with that and getting acclimated to the different role. Then, I started to find my spots. And then there are peaks and valleys of the season. I’m just trying to navigate that and figure out how to be as consistent as possible.”
Do you feel like you’ve turned a corner?
Hart:
“Too early to tell. We’ll see how it is. We’re almost a fourth into the season, so I guess I have to get that turn.”
Jules [Knicks forward Julius Randle] praised you for how your attitude has been this season as well as how Thibs [Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau has tried to use you. What’s been your perspective on how that’s evolved?
Hart:
“It’s a position and role that I’m not used to, and have never done before. So I’m just trying to figure out how to make it work.”
Given your different itinerary with Team USA [in the FIBA World Cup], how did you adjust to what your offseason regimen compared to other years?
Hart:
“It was definitely different. Everything was more sped up. I wasn’t able to let my body rest. In the first 10-15 games, my body just wasn’t where it normally was. So, now I’m trying to get more sleep, take more naps and let my body rest on off days. I just try to get back to as my body can feel during the season.”
Thibs praised you for how you’re one of the best perimeter defenders. With you doing this your whole career, what’s your approach on how you defend guys on the perimeter?
Hart:
“I just play my style. I try to play physical. I try to force them to tough shots. If they make it, they make it. If they do, don’t let it discourage me. I just play my game. I try not to let other things control the mentality.”
What are your memorable matchups with all the challenges you’ve taken?
Hart:
“There are games that I got roasted and there are games I played lock-down defense [laughs]. It depends on the day.”
You play a different position, but with Mitchell [Robinson] out, how can the team compensate for that?
Hart:
“Try to do it on the glass. Try to get stops and extra possessions on the offensive side. Just focus on that. Then defensively, he was a big piece for us. So just focus on finishing possessions, communicating, talking and try to fill that void. Not just one person is going to fill it. We all got to do it together.”
Ty [Lue] said he has an even deeper appreciation for how you have embraced doing the little things [with Team USA}. How did you approach that?
Hart:
“When I was with USA, all I was thinking about was playing defense and rebounding the ball. When I was open, I took shots and stuff like that. But it’s totally different [than in the NBA] in terms of the vibe, the roles and stuff like that."
"We had great players, so I always focused on doing the little things I could do to help the team be successful – loose balls, rebounds. For me, it wasn’t an emphasis on the offensive end. When I’m open, take my shots. In transition, push the ball. Besides that, get it to ANT [Anthony Edwards], BI [Brandon Ingram] and Austin [Reaves] and let them do their thing.”
How does that compare to your approach in the NBA?
Hart:
“That’s not really my thought process. I try to be a little bit more involved offensively here, not necessarily in terms of just scoring the ball and stuff like that. But being a little bit more of a playmaker and just trying to get into space and find guys when they’re open and stuff like that. It’s a little different. Obviously, the system, personnel and style, all of that is different. I’m trying to figure it out.”
I presume it’s too early from their end on if you have any chance to play for them in Paris?
Hart:
“I’d be very pleasantly surprised if I get a call. If I do, I’ll go cheerlead LeBron [James], KD [Kevin Durant] and all of them and I would love every minute of it [laughs]. I’m not even thinking about it. That’s for the future. That’s out of my hands and out of my control. But I loved it. It was a great experience with Ty and Steve [Kerr]. I love Spo [Erik Spoelstra]. That was my first time hanging out with Spo. Seeing him and learning from him was great.”
Of all the special things that Jalen [Brunson] has done, where does his recent [50-point] performance rank?
Hart:
“Definitely up there. I saw him score 48 [points] [last season] doing basically the same [stuff]. It’s up there. Obviously, the top of the peak will always be a national championship until we win in the Finals. That’s the time of the peak and everything else is under that.”
What makes him so special beyond his talent?
Hart:
“Just being able to know his spots and be able to create space. He’s able to take advantage of angles and knows where he’s effective. He can get to his spots. He’s not the most athletic or physically gifted in terms of being 6’8, lengthy and athletic. So his craftiness and shiftiness really enables him to the positions that needs to be in.”
It's early. But in the big picture knowing how the East landscape is, what will it take to get to where you want to be?
Hart:
“Playing better defense right now. It has been real shaky lately. It’s tough. Obviously, Milwaukee and Boston are at the top of the mountain. Philly is in that same conversation. So we got to make sure we’re focused on getting better and taking care of what we can control and then letting the chips fall where they may. It’s definitely something you look at, but at least this early, you can’t put too much into it.”
Mark Medina is an NBA insider for Sportskeeda. Follow him on X, Instagram, Facebook and Threads.