New York Knicks forward Josh Hart may not have been an All-Star this season, but he was certainly playing on that level.

CBS Sports writer Brad Botkin ranked his top 25 players in the NBA this season, and Hart came in at No. 21 on the list.

“By conventional standards, Hart does not belong on a list like this. He’s not an All-Star and very likely never will be. But if you don’t think he’s been one of the 25 best players, or most impactful, or however you want to frame it, this season, then you either haven’t watched the Knicks play much or you have zero idea what winning basketball looks like,” Botkin writes. 

“Hart does everything and is basically always on the court … He’s the best rebound-and-push guard in the league. Scoring almost 15 points a night in the cracks, Hart is making 66% of his 2-pointers for a 61% EFG mark, up from 49% last season (the biggest jump among all players who’ve taken at least 500 shots). Hart is a top-20 steal and deflection guy. He’s recovered more loose balls than anyone on the league.”

Hart does all of the dirty work not seen in box scores, and that’s what makes him valuable for the Knicks. That being said, there is one stat in particular that places him among the elite players in the league.

“In just about every Knicks game there are three to five plays that Hart makes that have every basketball coach in the world standing up to applaud. These are game-swinging plays. Regularly. To those of you thinking Hart doesn’t belong on a list like this for traditional statistical reasons, consider there are two players averaging at least 14 points, nine rebounds, five assists and one steal this season: Hart is one, Jokić is the other,” Botkin writes. 

“This guy is the definition of a winning player. Hart is a unique case in so many ways. You have to look at his game through a different lens. When you do, it becomes immediately apparent that he should probably be even higher on lists like this.”

Hart’s recent injury is the first time all season he has been hurt. In the team’s recent loss against the Cleveland Cavaliers, his absence was felt, and the Knicks look like a different team without him for all the wrong reasons.

If he isn’t on the court during the postseason, the Knicks have no shot at making any noise.

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