Josh Hart the right fit for Knicks that Cam Reddish never was
Josh Hart #3 of the Knicks reacts after hitting a three-point basket against the Atlanta Hawks during the fourth quarter at State Farm Arena on Feb. 15, 2023 in Atlanta. Credit: Getty Images
PORTLAND, Ore. — In his brief time in New York, Cam Reddish was a polarizing figure — almost representing a barometer of how the team was performing and how the fan base would cheer or deride the direction of the franchise.
He was called “the most athletic player on the team” by a front-office member and he occasionally would flash the potential he has carried since high school — a silky-smooth slash to the rim or a defensive stop with his length and speed that made you wonder why this didn’t happen more often. And when the team was in need, fans pleaded “Free Cam!”
Reddish has been freed now, dealt to the Trail Blazers and facing the Knicks on Tuesday night for the first time. He has played 32.7 minutes per game, averaging 14.6 points and shooting 37.1% for the Blazers. But it is hard to imagine that any Knicks fans are expressing regrets over parting ways with him.
When the Knicks dealt Reddish for Josh Hart, the season turned. The Knicks won the first nine games that Hart played with them — and numbers aside, it’s hard to argue that he hasn’t quickly become one of the Knicks' most important players.
“You see the impact that he’s had,” Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau said. “It was immediate and it’s all the intangibles that he brings to the game. When you look at net rating, you look at the record since he’s been here we’re 10-3. The team just functions well when he’s on the floor. You look at his playmaking ability - whatever you need. You need a big shot, need a big defensive stop, need a big rebound, he makes the play. And he makes everyone around him a lot better. So he’s been terrific for us.”
"I knew it would be a good fit style-wise,” Hart said. “It kind of exceeded my expectations, especially as quickly as it did. System, coaching staff, team, it fit perfectly.
“Sometimes it’s not about the talent or whatever it is. Sometimes it’s about fit. Sometimes a bad fit for somebody can be a good fit for somebody else or visa versa. The NBA is very situational. You’ve got to know that coming in. … I think it’s a good fit for him here with the playing style and the group around him.”
The Knicks were 10-13 when they moved Reddish to the end of the bench after a loss on Dec. 3. They went 20-13 with Reddish buried before the trade and entered Tuesday night's game 30-17 since that Dec. 3 loss, including the 13 games since the trade.
While Reddish has started 11 of his 13 games in Portland (and played 36 minutes in his last game off the bench), Hart has not started a game with the Knicks, averaging 29.7 minutes, 10.7 points and 6.9 rebounds per game since the trade. Although he started all 51 of his games with the Blazers this season, his per 36-minute scoring is up since the trade — and his three-point shooting has been off the charts (58.6%).
While Hart is counting wins — already, the Knicks' 40 exceeds the total of any team he’s been on and is hoping to get to the playoffs for the first time in his career — Reddish is happy to have an opportunity after sitting for 33 straight games. He came to the Knicks after asking out of Atlanta for a better chance and is getting it in Portland.
“I hadn’t played for so long, like it’s still not all the way there,” Reddish said. “I’m just happy to playing and blessed to be playing. It definitely was hard. But I had some great people around me —- my uncle, my girl, and I had my dogs, too. So they keep me positive.
“But I just kind of treated it like an offseason. I was working out every single day, trying to be ready for this moment, Obviously, nothing’s like a game. But it was hard, more mentally than anything. So I’m still kind of crawling my way out of it a little, I don’t want to say a hole, but I’m still getting back to my usual self.”
He would not go into where it went wrong in New York, but smiled and said, “Y’all right here are in the locker room more than me. So y’all know what I’m talking about. Go ask them what I’m talking about.”
The numbers — wins and losses with the Blazers 4-9 since his arrival while the Knicks are bound for the postseason — would tell the story. Thibodeau took the high road when asked about Reddish.
“He’s played very well,” he said. “Happy for him. I think it was one of those trades that was good for both teams, and that’s what you like. So, we got what we needed and I think they got what they needed.”
Steve Popper covers the Knicks for Newsday. He has spent nearly three decades covering the Knicks and the NBA, along with just about every sports team in the New York metropolitan area.
