Steve Popper: Knicks' Josh Hart would love to be an All-Star one day, but he's not holding his breath
The Knicks' Josh Hart has a laugh with Jalen Brunson during a game against the Celtics on Feb. 8, 2026 in Boston, Massachusetts. Credit: Getty Images/Winslow Townson
Shortly after the Knicks finished off the pre-All-Star break portion of the season with a one-sided win in Philadelphia, while Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns were prepping for a morning flight to Los Angeles and their role in the All-Star Game festivities, Josh Hart was packing for a vacation — and he wasn’t complaining.
“Yeah, I’m checked out now,” he said, laughing. “I’ve got my wine right here. I’m living my best life.”
Hart has embraced this midseason chance to unwind and has accepted that no matter how many times his teammates or coaches lobby for him, his type of player isn’t getting an invitation to the All-Star Game.
The type: glue guy, do a lot of things well and fill up the stat line, just not enough to actually get among the league leaders.
Coach Mike Brown repeatedly has compared him to Andre Iguodala, which might provide a glimmer of hope; Iguodala earned one All-Star selection in his 19-year career. In retrospect, maybe that’s not so inspiring. Aaron Gordon, who at least was a Slam Dunk contestant, has never been an All-Star. Derrick White of the Celtics? Not once despite the push from Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla.
“I think you’d always like to be an All-Star,” Hart said. “Do I think a guy that’s my style of play is really going to be an All-Star? Probably not. If I was ever fortunate to be in that position, I would love it, but I just know the play style, it’s not the glitz and the glamour to it.”
The Knicks have two representatives in Brunson and Towns, and Brown has at times lobbied for Hart and Mikal Bridges and OG Anunoby. But Hart doesn’t believe that even the coaches will vote for players who do everything, but nothing spectacularly.
“I just know, even playing in the All-Star Game, people don’t want to see dudes out there running like a bat out of hell,” Hart said. “Maybe they will.”
“He’s 100% correct in that regard, but we value him,” Brown said. “We value him at a high level. He makes us go. I said it before, the beginning of the season, me being a dummy and keeping him on the bench at the end of games maybe cost us a game or two at the beginning of the season. But thank goodness he was patient with it and he gave me a chance to figure it out. And we did it and now he’s helping us out at a high level.”
Hart’s numbers aren’t eye-opening. He’s averaging 12.2 points, 7.6 rebounds and 5.2 assists per game with a pair of triple-double performances. But it’s no coincidence that when he was inserted back into the starting lineup after the Knicks got off to a 9-6 start, they won 10 of their next 11 games, plus the NBA Cup final.
“He should be recognized,” Brown said. “The stuff he does, he doesn’t get enough credit. Is he a different player than Andre Iguodala? Yes he is, but it’s kind of similar. People don’t appreciate the stuff that they bring to the table because they do a lot of stuff really good or pretty good, but they don’t do anything that pops in some people’s eyes and it’s not sexy to people. But it’s much-needed, especially when you’re a team trying to compete for a championship.”
Hart has joked about it, but he did say that he would love it if an All-Star spot ever came. And with players opting out, finding injuries and, to tell the truth, probably jealous of players who get to hop on a private jet to an island vacation, there is always a chance the phone could ring, even if it is an injury replacement spot.
“I mean, I don’t think I’m next in line,” Hart said. “There’s probably 10, 15 people that got to go down. At that point I’d be like, hey, maybe it’s in the cards.”
Late-season help
Jose Alvarado is three games into his Knicks career and already has provided a boost during wins over Boston and Philadelphia, and now the Knicks have added Jeremy Sochan. Both players bring defense and energy, and the Knicks hope they can add more than what late-season addition P.J. Tucker provided last season.
The Knicks brought in Tucker as a veteran who was a positive in the locker room, but he never was able to contribute on the court. Alvarado already has, and while Sochan was waived by the Spurs four years after becoming the No. 9 overall pick, he could provide some of what they need — a versatile defender who, like Alvarado, can provide a bit of toughness for the postseason run.
When Sochan was at the NBA Draft Combine in 2022, I got a chance to talk to him. We’ll give you this quote from that session on the player with whom he saw a similarity, both for defense and for his ability to get under an opponent’s skin.
“I can sense that. I feel like I see a lot on the court,” Sochan said. “I can sense when a player is getting a little bit annoyed or they’re not feeling comfortable. And that just fuels me and also my teammates. Communicate with my teammates and talking to them, tell them, OK, they’re getting more aggravated. Keep pushing.
“I think all the time I’ve watched [Draymond Green] and I think recently, maybe this year, maybe the year I was in Germany, I really realized he’s a real presence. He doesn’t have to score, but he involves everyone. He’s that guy who gets under people’s skins, plays good defense. He’s just a presence. You always see him on the court. He doesn’t hide away from anything.”
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.
