Mike Brown reversed his decision to take Josh Hart out of the starting lineup, and the impact was immediate. Despite a loaded roster, the gritty Knicks guard remains one of the Knicks’ essential pieces. However, after suffering an ankle injury on Christmas Day, Hart was ruled out of another Knicks game. New York’s Friday game against the Hawks concluded in a loss, as the hosts suffered their second consecutive defeat. After the game, the team provided a crucial update about Hart’s return timetable.

According to Knicks reporter Tommy Beer, New York was close to returning to action after he was upgraded to “light court work.” The Knicks swingman will be re-evaluated in one week before a possible return.

Before the Knicks started their three-game road trip, starting with the Hawks on Dec. 27, The Athletic reported that he would miss the next three games. Now, under the possible timeline for Hart’s return, he will miss at least another three games, in one of the toughest weeks for the Knicks. In the next seven days, they will face the Pistons, Sixers, and the Clippers, the hottest team in the NBA.

The Hawks vs Knicks matchup on Friday was the fourth game that Hart has missed in a row. He injured his ankle in the Christmas Day game against the Cleveland Cavaliers. he stepped on Dean Wade’s foot during a drive to the basket. He exited the game with 15 points, 5 rebounds, and 3 assists in 26 minutes.

After Mike Brown took over as the head coach, he decided to bring Josh Hart from the bench. However, he quickly inserted the do-it-all guard into the starting lineup, and the results were instant. The Knicks have gone 11-3 since then, while Hart walked into one of the best 3-point shooting seasons of his career.

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Josh Hart’s early-season suggestion to Mike Brown has benefited him and the Knicks

When the Knicks started their season with Mike Brown, Josh Hart came up with a special suggestion to his coach. He asked Brown to hire a shooting coach. It wasn’t a strange suggestion, but certainly a rare one. Most teams in the league do not hire a shooting coach, and players typically work out with shooting coaches during the offseason.

Brown obliged and hired Peter Patton, a former DePaul player who shot 40 percent from the 3-point line. Since then, it has worked tremendously for New York.

They are the top four 3-point shooting teams in the league this year, and have the best shooting percentage over the last five seasons, and on top of that, Hart is having the best shooting season (38.9%) since his rookie year with the Lakers.

Hart has consistently credited Patton for his spike in shooting efficiency.

“I’m working with Pete every day on my shot,” said Hart. “Like I said before, it was something vital, for me, to have a shooting coach here on staff that I could work with every single day. Obviously, I had one before but he lived in Los Angeles. I was playing 38 minutes a game. It was tough to focus on the mechanics. With Pete, I’m able to work on the mechanics every day, even if it’s just a little. It’s a feeling, repetition.”

Before Brown took over the coaching job, Tom Thibodeau played a crucial part in Josh Hart’s rise, giving him over 40 minutes on the floor almost every game. However, his role remained mostly on the defensive end. However, under Brown, he is getting shooting opportunities, at least more frequently, if not more.