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Josh Hart Receives High Praise From John Starks

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Mathew Huff
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Mathew Huff Sports Editor

Mathew is an avid sports fan who loves basketball. He has a soft spot for Denver sports in particular and has been involved with sports writing for close to 7 years now. He likes to utilize both statistics and a blend of the eye test when analyzing the games he loves. Mathew also dabbles with sports betting and loves helping people win money.

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Sports Editor

Updated09 Oct 2023

Josh Hart exercises $12.9 million player option with New York Knicks for 2023-24

The New York Knicks have found a gem in their gadget-type player in Josh Hart. He has even caught the eye of another New York Knicks fan favorite. That would be another defensive-minded player from the 1990’s, John Starks. The former Sixth Man of the Year had this to say recently about Josh Hart and his impact for the New York Knicks.

“Josh goes out there and he competes very hard the way I did,” Starks said in an interview with Mill Media. “I’m proud that he’s wearing my number.”

“He plays with a lot of heart,” said Starks. “He’s known as a defensive player, and that’s what I was known as.”

Starks clearly sees a little bit of himself in Hart’s style of play. A style that should serve the Knicks well this coming season.

Josh Hart Receives High Praise From New York Knicks Legend, John Starks 

John Starks’ Tenure With the New York Knicks 

John Starks was an essential part of the Knicks squad during the Patrick Ewing era. Throughout his tenure with the New York Knicks, he tallied 14.1 points, 1.2 steals, and 4.0 assists per game. Not to mention, he also tallied a defensive rating of 104 and a defensive win share total of +25.4 during his time with New York.

He was a Swiss Army knife for the Knicks and took on the challenge of guarding the opponent’s best perimeter player much of the time. With the Knicks, he became a Sixth Man of the Year, made an All-Star Team, and made the All-Defensive Team in the 1992-93 season. All in all, John Starks was a fan favorite in the Big Apple and the fact that he is heaping such high praise on Josh Hart should excite Knicks fans.

Josh Hart’s Impact

Josh Hart has carved out a nice role with the Knicks. He is the type of defensive-minded wing they needed who can guard positions one through four. With the offseason acquisition of Obi Toppin, expect Hart to see some time at the power forward spot this coming season. He has seemingly found a true home with New York.

With the Knicks last year, he averaged 10.2 points, 7.0 total rebounds, and 1.4 steals per game. While the sample size is small with the New York Knicks, Josh Hart has certainly ingratiated himself with not just the fans, but even with the organization.

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