The New York Knicks are now on the brink of an NBA championship, and while the stars often grab the headlines, LeBron James believes one of the team’s most important players are the ones who impact the game in ways that don’t always show up on the scoreboard.
James singled out Knicks guard Josh Hart and praised his overall impact on the win.
“You got a wild card in Josh Hart, he’s like a wild card and he continues to get better and better,” James said on the latest episode of his “Mind the Game” podcast. “I was with him when he was young. I was on the young Lakers show with him, Bee, Lonzo, Caruso, Zubac. I had young players. You’re going to see Josh Hart continue to get better and better, he’s one of the few players in our league who can make an impact and doesn’t always have to score.”
James understands Hart’s journey better than most. After Hart entered the league in 2017, the two spent time with the Lakers and were ultimately involved in the blockbuster trade that brought Anthony Davis to Los Angeles.
Since then, Hart has developed into one of the league’s most valuable role players, helping the Knicks make a deep playoff run with his rebounding, defense, hustle and versatility.
James went on to compare Hart’s value to some of the NBA’s most respected winning players.
“That’s Draymond Green’s role, he can get you eight points but only 12 rebounds,” James continued. “That’s seven assists. It’s about rushing the ball, those things don’t show up in the statistics. It’s a competitive spirit, and if you don’t respect him, he can obviously shoot the ball as well. Coast to coast, left to right, right-handed finish. So it’s a big time to see Josh grow into the player he is, and he’s one of those guys like you said, we always talk about Alex Caruso. It’s those certain guys that you can put on any team, any team, and they’re going to win because these guys are just going to make winning plays.”
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