Hart had some big names on his list.
Josh Hart has never been the type to back down from a tough assignment, and when he was recently asked to name the hardest players he has ever had to guard, his answers were honest and a little bit all over the place in the best way.
"Bron, James Harden... I'll probably put DeMar up there," Hart said. "Who else was cooking me? Those three for sure, and then I'll have to like think of like who else is really cooking me. Kawhi is up there."
It tells you a lot about what Hart values in an offensive player.
LeBron James and James Harden are obvious picks because they combine size, skill and basketball IQ in ways that are almost impossible to deal with one-on-one.
DeMar DeRozan being on the list is where it gets interesting because DeRozan does not get talked about enough as one of the toughest shot-makers in the league, even at 36 years old while averaging 18.4 points per game on the Kings this season.
And Kawhi Leonard, when healthy, is still one of the most complete two-way players in the sport.
What makes Hart's take worth paying attention to is that he is not some guy who avoids these matchups.
He wants them.
Since joining the Knicks, Hart has built a reputation as one of the most willing and versatile defenders in the league.
He is the guy coaches trust to take on the other team's best perimeter player, and he does it while also contributing 12.1 points, 7.4 rebounds and 4.8 assists per game this season across 65 games.
Why Hart Matters So Much for These Knicks
New York finished the regular season at 53-29 and locked up the third seed in the Eastern Conference with a first-round matchup against the Atlanta Hawks starting Saturday. F
or a team built around Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns on offense, Hart is the connective tissue that holds everything together on the other end of the floor.
He doesn't fill up the stat sheet with blocks or steals, but his effort, positioning and willingness to guard anyone from point guards to small forwards gives the Knicks a flexibility that most teams just do not have.
Hart's three-point shooting surge over the second half of the season also changed how teams defended the Knicks.
When he is knocking down threes at a 41.5 percent clip, defenses can not leave him alone to load up on Brunson, and that opens everything up.
The Playoffs Start Now
The concern heading into the postseason is health.
Hart has been dealing with an ankle injury and missed the final game of the regular season.
New York needs him right, because without his defense and energy, the depth that carried them all year gets a lot thinner.
Hart is one of those players whose impact goes way beyond the box score, and if the Knicks want to make a real run, they need him healthy and doing what he does best.
That means guarding the toughest player on the other team every single night.