Knicks’ Josh Hart reveals hilarious realization from Trail Blazers tenure

Josh Hart has embraced his role as one of the best supporting cast members in the association. He willingly does the dirty work, fighting for boards and taking on tough matchups both on the perimeter and on the post for the New York Knicks. But once upon a time, Hart was being called upon to be a primary scoring weapon back when he was with the Portland Trail Blazers.

The Blazers traded for Hart back in 2022 as part of the CJ McCollum deal with the New Orleans Pelicans, and during that year, the Blazers were in the middle of a tank job amid Damian Lillard’s injury woes. With their playoff dreams long lost, the Blazers decided to make Hart one of their featured offensive weapons.

In 13 games upon his arrival with the Blazers, Hart did average 19.9 points per game — an average that he’s not likely to touch anytime soon with the Knicks. However, they did go 4-9 during those games, which made the beloved role player realize something profound about his career.

“Yeah I was getting buckets. And that’s when I knew, I was like, you know what? I’m a good basketball player and I can help a team win, but if I’m the number one or number two option on that team… not a great team. Not a great team,” Hart said on his podcast, Roommates Show.

Matt: “The season when you got traded from New Orleans to Portland, those 13 games that you played on Portland for, you averaged 20 a game.”

Josh: “Yeah I was getting buckets. And that’s when I knew, I was like, you know what? I’m a good basketball player and I can help a team… pic.twitter.com/h2fPhJ2EZg

— Roommates Show (@Roommates__Show) February 11, 2026

Josh Hart is NOT a primary scoring option for the Knicks

Hart is the fifth scoring option in the Knicks’ starting lineup, and he might be fifth regardless of who’s on the floor. He’s an impressive runner in transition, and he makes incredible use of his off-hand, but he has significant shortcomings when it comes to scoring in the halfcourt.

The good news is that the Knicks don’t need Hart to score that much. They need him to defend multiple positions, clean up on the glass, and hit open shots — which he’s done often for New York since arriving on the team in 2023.

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