Knicks' Josh Hart an All-Star? He says no, but Karl-Anthony Towns thinks so
Knicks guard Josh Hart celebrates after a dunk by center Karl-Anthony Towns during the second half of an NBA game against the Washington Wizards on Dec. 30, 2024, in Washington. Credit: AP/Terrance Williams
OKLAHOMA CITY — When the first round of fan voting for the NBA All-Star rosters was announced Thursday,Karl-Anthony Towns was third in the frontcourt and Jalen Brunson was fourth among guards. The two Knicks likely will make the roster once the player and coach votes are counted.
But could the Knicks have more? And if so, who would be next? OG Anunoby? Mikal Bridges? Josh Hart?
“I can get an All-Star? Hell no,” Hart said. “I feel like they appreciate what I do but like I said, my game is not glitz and glamour that breeds that kind of accolade. And I’m fine with that. I’m a servant to these guys. I want to make sure they’re good. I want them to get the accolades.
“I want to have my toes to touch some sand come February. God willing, I would be blessed to see that. That would be amazing. If I was in that position, it would be amazing and an accomplishment for me and role players like that. But at the end of the day, I’m a servant to these guys. I want to see these guys make it and for them to enjoy themselves.”
Hart is not the only player who would prefer to be on a beach instead of joining in the All-Star Weekend festivities, but he is a curious case. He has been a consistent force and is having his best season, including back-to-back triple-doubles this week. He entered Friday night averaging 14.5 points and career bests of 8.8 rebounds and 5.7 assists per game.
"Yes, he needs to be in the All-Star Game,” Towns said. “I need his weekend ruined. Absolutely."
When asked about Hart’s contention that the dirty-work players like himself don’t get All-Star berths, Towns said, “Well, he’s going to find out when he’s playing on Sunday. When he’s playing on Sunday, I don’t want to hear [anything]. I mean, All-Star Game, if I remember correctly, is for people who perform the best at that point in the season. That’s pretty much the definition. I don’t remember when it changed.”
The fan voting had Brunson behind LaMelo Ball, Donovan Mitchell and Damian Lillard and with approximately half the votes of Ball. But Towns believes that Brunson will be there — and that the Knicks should have more.
“I like to see wins, but I would like to see all five of us be All-Stars,” he said. “I think we’ve got five All-Stars on this team. It would be cool.”
“The way he’s been playing, he’s averaging 24 or 25 and 13,” Hart said of Towns. “He’s shooting the ball very efficiently. Not surprised by that at all. Minnesota loves him. They’re voting for him and showing love, and obviously he’s definitely won over New York with his style and ability to play. But he’s been great. I think we can get more in, hopefully. [Bridges] and OG would be more than deserving. I think that’s on us to continue to win and continue to highlight those guys and show what they can do on both sides of the ball. So we got to continue to win for that to happen and make sure we sacrifice so those guys can be in that position.”
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.
