Same Hustle, Smaller Job
Josh Hart built his reputation on doing a little of everything, crashing the glass and making the extra pass.
The Knicks found something during the title run, though, and it changed what they need from him.
New York is now a two-man offense. Hart’s job is to finish what Brunson and Towns start, and that’s a problem for a Reb+Ast line set at 11.5.
Knicks at Celtics Match Details
Location: Boston, Massachusetts
Venue: TD Garden
Date: Friday, Oct. 23, 2026
Time: 7:00 p.m. ET
The Ball Lives in Two Hands
Brunson and Towns run pick-and-roll on almost every trip, and KAT is making plays from the elbows.
Towns averaged 4.5 assists in only 21 minutes this preseason. Brunson created 15 potential assists in the opener, up from 11.9 last year.
Something had to give, and it was Hart. His potential assists dropped from 8.2 to 6. He’s spotting up and waiting for the kick-out now.
Boston Wants Him Shooting
The Celtics lean right into that. They help off the Knicks’ weakest shooter, so Hart gets open looks, and he takes them.
In his three starts against Boston last season, he scored 19, 19 and 26 but had just 3, 3 and 4 assists.
Every possession that ends with Hart shooting is one where he isn’t passing or crashing the glass.
The Mitchell Robinson Swap
The rebounding picture is tilted too. Robinson pulled down 9 and 7 boards for New York in the last two meetings.
Tonight he’s crashing for Boston alongside Tatum and Paul George, in his first game against his old team. That’s one rebounder taken away from New York and handed to a Celtics team that grabbed 38% of its own misses in the preseason, best in the league.
A Slow Grind
The pace squeezes Hart as well. These two played at about 92 possessions per team last year, one of the slowest matchups in the league.
Yes, Ausar Thompson went for 11 and 5 against Boston on Tuesday. But Robinson played only 18 minutes on a bad ankle, and three of those assists came during a 23-0 run. I’m not reading much into it.
The Numbers Back It Up
Hart’s rebounds plus assists in his starts against Boston last season landed at 11, 9 and 4. That’s under this number every time.
According to PropsMadness, in games where he played 26 to 36 minutes against the top half of defenses at his position, he stayed under this number 14 of 17 times last season.
Friday NBA Best Bet
Hart’s line is priced on the do-everything version of him, not the spot-up finisher New York uses now. Boston’s scheme gets him shooting, Robinson moves to the other side of the glass, and the pace limits the chances he does get.
Josh Hart Under 11.5 Reb+Ast
Odds subject to change
