Josh Hart reveals the secret behind his success with the Knicks after the championship

In the NBA, stars are often brought up because they make the headlines. They are often the primary reasons why teams win games. That leaves the role players as the forgotten ones, despite putting in the effort to affect the game in any way they can.

Even a former superstar like Shaquille O'Neal calls them the "others," which is a bit dismissive of their impact. With that, a lot of players develop an ego that is usually expected from the stars. However, there is always something to be said about players who know their roles and maximize their impact, something that New York Knicks wing Josh Hart knows by heart.

Josh Hart proves that being a star in his role helped the Knicks win a title

For the longest time, Hart has been a tremendous energy guy across many teams. Be it for the Los Angeles Lakers, the New Orleans Pelicans, or the Portland Trail Blazers, he proved his worth as a role player with a unique skill set.

Hart is a wing, so most of his time should be spent in the perimeter. That is not the case because Hart always finds ways to affect the game with his rebounding and hustle. He knows his role, and he does not have any issues with what he is tasked to do for the Knicks.

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Against the San Antonio Spurs in the 2026 NBA Finals, Hart continued to prove that playing with immense heart and energy can go a long way. He had performances where he outperformed 7'5" behemoth Victor Wembanyama on the glass, which helped the Knicks get the possessions they needed to win.

It is further proof that Hart did not need to be a superstar to help his team earn the championship. He was a star in his own role, which is something that younger players can learn from.

"Everybody wants to be the guy that scores the most, that puts the ball in the basket, and that's not everybody's path. That wasn't my path, and sometimes that's a tough pill to swallow, but when you embrace that, when you're a star in your role, and you take pride in doing the little things that breed winning basketball," Hart said to Monica McNutt after the Game 5 victory.

Moving forward, more and more role players will learn from Hart's example. He is not the biggest star on the Knicks, but he did have a considerable impact as a role player. As long as more players can have that kind of mindset, they can be more impactful than forcing themselves to be first-option stars.

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• The Knicks' plans for their celebrations have already been revealed
• Victor Wembanyama admits fatigue was a factor, but he is absolutely not using it as an excuse for the loss
• Mitch Johnson knows the Spurs were not prepared to win the NBA championship yet