Nick Crain | 2/15/23

The NBA trade deadline is always one of the most pivotal points in the NBA season. Each year as players are moved across the league, we see a more active situation reflective of a continual increase of player mobility that’s currently at an all-time high.

One of the more impactful trades of the recent window was Josh Hart being sent from the Portland Trail Blazers to the New York Knicks. The 27-year-old is a legitimate difference maker as a do-it-all type of player. The Knicks wanted to add another piece to make a push for a deep playoff run, and considered Hart to be a great connecting piece with the potential to fit well in New York’s system.

His fit with the Knicks to this point has been extremely strong. Through his first three games with his new team, Hart has averaged 17.0 points and 5.3 rebounds in a trio of convincing wins. While he’s been great thus far, the longer term fit is something that’s difficult to predict, but that’s where we come in.. Leveraging the advanced models within the Athledex, we can see how Hart is projected to fit within his new team and which individual teammates he could find the most synergy with.

One of the players he’s expected to fit extremely well with is his former college teammate in Jalen Brunson – which we’ve already seen, albeit  a limited sample size. Even so, the talented duo single-handedly led New York to a recent win with 67 combined points while sharing a backcourt. Furthermore, Hart is projected to fit well with two key forwards on the Knicks roster in Obi Toppin and Mitchell Robinson.

Based on ProFitX’s models, however, the offensive upside in New York may not be as high as it was in Portland. Especially as a player that puts pressure on the rim, he could be less impactful with his new team. As good as the early stretch has been, there’s always a chance that the current synergy isn’t sustainable.

Hart is a versatile defender, but again doesn’t project to fit as well on that end of the floor in his new situation. As such, it could take longer for him to mesh in New York’s defensive system, but that doesn’t mean he won’t be impactful on that side of the ball – he just fit extremely well in Portland, which is why it was somewhat surprising the Blazers traded him away even with the contract situation.

It will be interesting to see how much Hart has the ball in his hands as a Knick. He was more of a wing on the guard-heavy Trail Blazers roster, but could be playing a much different role in New York. Depending on his split on and off the ball, he could be limited as a playmaker.

Overall, the data would suggest Hart was a better fit in Portland than in New York. However, that doesn’t mean he won’t be a highly impactful player on the Knicks. At the end of the day, it’s all relative and he was a key piece of what the Blazers were doing before being traded. Let’s see what he’s able to do with a new team within this new opportunity.