The New York Knicks are less than three weeks away from kicking off their title defense when the regular season gets underway. The Knicks are returning most of the same core of players from last year, including Josh Hart, who made some key plays for New York during their playoff run.
Recently, Hart spoke on the state of his finger, which he protected with wraps throughout the 2025-26 season when he played, and why he opted not to have surgery on it this offseason.
“You can’t have the banging, repetitive (motion),” Hart said, per Fred Katz of The Athletic. “Grabbing a rebound, palming it, shooting, catching the ball, doing all that: You can’t do that. So, if I did a joint replacement, then I wouldn’t be able to play.”
Instead, he will wait until the end of his career to get the surgery and soldier on through the pain in the meantime, having suffered the injury in the 2025 Eastern Conference Finals against the Indiana Pacers.
Article Continues Below“I guess it’s either wrap it till I retire (or) cut it off,” Hart said. “I guess that’s the other option. So that’s really the only alternative: either joint replacement, let it go, or amputation.”
Hart has been known for his toughness throughout his NBA career, and he put that on full display during the Knicks' march to their first championship in 53 years last season.
New York is slated to kick off its new campaign on October 20 with a home game against LeBron James and the Philadelphia 76ers.