Josh

Hart

The Knicks won’t have Josh Hart (ankle) for Wednesday’s game, and Shamet will start in his place. With the opportunity and Shamet scoring 22 points in Monday’s win over the Nets, he’s worth streaming in deep leagues.

Hart will miss a game for the first time this season, which will open up a spot in the starting unit. Landry Shamet is the likely replacement in the starting unit, especially after he led the team in scoring 23 points on Monday.

Hart, who made his way to the back immediately after fouling out of Monday’s win over the Nets, is dealing with a sore right ankle. If he can’t play Wednesday, Landry Shamet may replace him in the starting lineup. Shamet scored a team-high 23 points on Monday.

While Mikal Bridges (six points, five rebounds, one assist, and one block) continues to offer limited fantasy value, Hart has started strong. The Knicks’ wing posted a strong stat line on Sunday and has been a top-50 fantasy player through the first week of the season. Expecting Hart to sustain that isn’t realistic, given all that he brings to the table. That said, some managers may consider selling high before Week 2.

Hart was ruled out with an ankle injury ahead of the Knicks’ preseason game against the Raptors on Thursday. Knicks coach Mike Brown told reporters he doesn’t think the injury will impact Hart’s status for the Knicks’ season opener against the 76ers on Tuesday, which is great news for fantasy managers. The game will air at 7:00 PM ET on NBC and Peacock.

After a relatively quiet night in the Knicks’ preseason opener on Monday, Hart recorded a complete stat line on Thursday. With an ADP just inside the top-100, Hart is once again positioned to be a fantasy steal, especially in category leagues. He may not be the “sexiest” option for managers seeking significant upside, but one could do a lot worse than selecting Hart in drafts.

Hart finished Saturday’s win with his fourth double-double of the players, reaching double figures in points for the second time in three games. In fact, remove Games 3 and 5, and he totaled nine points in the other three contests. However, Hart’s most important contributions rarely come in the points category, as evidenced by his 11 rebounds on Saturday. Also, his 3-of-6 night from beyond the arc was huge, as the Knicks struggled to get going as a whole. Because of inconsistent scoring, he can be undervalued in category leagues, but Hart has provided top-100 value. There’s no reason why he can’t do that again in 2026-27.

Hart got off to a strong start to this game and was pivotal in helping the Knicks stay afloat when the Spurs got off to a hot start and in helping New York take a halftime lead with a late run. However, he only scored three more points in the second half. He was still able to impact the game in other ways, but the hot shooting didn’t carry over. Still, he’ll continue to be one of the most impactful players in this series, even if it doesn’t always result in big scoring nights.

After struggling to the point where he watched most of the fourth quarter and overtime of Game 1 from the bench, Hart bounced back in a major way. After missing his first four shot attempts, the Knicks’ wing did not lose his confidence, and his faith was rewarded. Hart recorded playoff career-highs in points and three-pointers while also providing secondary playmaking. Cleveland may look to dare Hart to knock down shots again in Saturday’s Game 3, but he showed in Game 2 that he’s capable of making them play. New York will take a 2-0 lead to Cleveland.

The Knicks shot 25-of-44 from beyond the arc in Game 4, and Hart got in on the fun with a 4-of-6 afternoon. Add in the rebounds, and the Knicks forward finished one rebound shy of a double-double while recording a complete stat line. The hope moving forward is that Hart’s performance in Game 4 will serve as a slump-buster, similar to what Game 5 of the Atlanta series was for Mikal Bridges. Bridges also played well on Sunday, finishing with 12 points, four rebounds, six assists and three steals.