For a time, the Los Angeles Lakers seemed to never miss on their draft picks and accumulated an excellent group of young talent. Brandon Ingram, Julius Randle, Lonzo Ball, Kyle Kuzma, Ivica Zubac, Jordan Clarkson and others all went on to have excellent careers after being drafted by the Lakers. And one player that is forgotten who was also part of that group is Josh Hart.
Hart spent his first two years in the NBA with the Lakers before being traded away as part of the Anthony Davis deal. And now Hart has become one of the most important and beloved players for a New York Knicks team on the brink of winning an NBA Championship. And LeBron James has a ton of praise for his ability to impact the game so greatly without needing to score.
“You got the wild card in Josh Hart, he’s like a wild card, he’s continued 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 had the young Lake Show with him and Bi, and Lonzo, and Caruso, Zubac, I had the young guys. You just see Josh Hart continue to get better and better and better and he’s one of those few guys in our league that makes an impact and it doesn’t always have to be scoring.
“It’s the Draymond Green role where he gets you eight points, but it’s 12 rebounds. It’s seven assists. It’s diving for loose ball, the stuff that doesn’t show up in the box scores. It’s that competitive will, and if you disrespect him he can obviously make shots as well. That coast-to-coast, left-to-right, right hand finish. So it’s big time to see Josh kind of grow into the player that he’s in and he’s one of those guys like you said, we always talk about Alex Caruso a lot. It’s those certain guys that you can plug into any franchise, any team, and they’re gonna win because those guys just make winning plays.”
Hart certainly belongs in that class of players such as Green and Caruso as he does so much for the Knicks that has allowed them to reach a new level in these playoffs. He is one of the best rebounding guards in the league and his work on the offensive glass constantly creates extra possessions. He is also a physical defender who is strong enough to guard much bigger players. And when he is left open, is more than capable of knocking down open 3-pointers.
James knows very well that every championship team needs players like Hart in order to accomplish that final goal and he recognizes the importance of what Hart has meant to the Knicks as they inch closer to raising the Larry O’Brien trophy.
LeBron James impressed by Knicks postseason run
Hart has been just one piece of the unreal run the Knicks have made in this postseason, which has greatly impressed James for how well they have played as a team.
Have you subscribed to our YouTube channel? It’s the best way to watch player interviews, exclusive coverage from events, participate in live shows, and more!
