Knicks insider reveals reasoning behind Josh Hart opting to play through finger injury

New York Knicks forward Josh Hart has been playing through a finger/hand injury to start the season. Hart initially suffered the injury last year, then re-injured it during the offseason. 

After an extremely rough start to the season for Hart, the Swiss Army knife of the Knicks has looked much more like the version of himself that most are familiar with. Over his last three games, Hart is averaging 14.6 points, eight rebounds, and four assists per game. Hart has also shot much better from three-point range in that span, including going four for five from downtown in the Knicks’ last outing against the Minnesota Timberwolves. 

Opting to not get surgery now, and play through the injury is a risky maneuver for Hart, but SNY’s Ian Begley explains the reasoning behind the decision.

“If you go in and you have that surgery, yes, the timetable is reportedly three months - but you're talking about your shooting hand, nerves in your hand - it's a big risk, big rehab in season,” Begley said. “I was one of the people who thought, 'why not just get under the knife, get it over with, and come back?' But after asking him about it, the things he was saying made a lot of sense to me.”

Hart seems to have found his rhythm despite the injury, and will look to keep performing at a high level as the season progresses. 

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• Former Knicks coach Rick Pitino critiques Mitchell Robinson’s free-throw form