One of the main differences coach Mike Brown was expected to bring to the Knicks was fewer minutes for starters.
Three quarters through his first season, that has largely come to fruition.
All five starters — Jalen Brunson, Mikal Bridges, OG Anunoby, Josh Hart and Karl-Anthony Towns — are averaging fewer minutes per game this season compared to last year.
Hart’s workload has seen the biggest decline. He entered Wednesday’ s 103-100 loss to the Thunder at Madison Square Garden averaging 30.3 minutes per game, down from 37.6 last year.
“That’s what he feels is best,” Hart told The Post before Wednesday’s game. “If that’s what he sees fit, that’s what he sees fit.”
Hart had long gotten used to significant minutes under Tom Thibodeau — his 37.6 minutes per game last year led the NBA. Entering Wednesday, Hart had only surpassed 37 minutes five times this season.
He also recognizes that in the past, there were times when some of those minutes could have — or should have — been shaved down.
“It takes a little bit of an adjustment,” Hart said. “I think it also depends on how I’m playing. Games last year, the year before, if there was an 82-game season, you’re bound to have bad games. I think some of those bad games, I shouldn’t [have] played as much. You could’ve went to Landry [Shamet], or more minutes for Cam [Payne], something like that. So this year, it takes a little bit getting used to but you’ve got guys like Landry playing extremely well this season, obviously Deuce [McBride] was playing well before he got hurt, we’ve got Jose [Alvarado]. I’m cool with it. As long as we win, I’m cool with it.”
Hart played 25 minutes on Wednesday.
Thunder star Jalen Williams — who was still out with a hamstring injury — complained about the famous walk up the driveway opposing players have to take when entering the Garden.
“We gotta update the arena, y’all,” Williams said in video captured by The Post. “This can’t be the walk.”
Hart and Brunson both briefly went to the locker room during the third quarter of Wednesday’s game, but both returned, and their injuries weren’t serious.
[Notigroup Newsroom in collaboration with other media outlets, with information from the following sources]
