The Knicks wing was scoreless and benched for the fourth quarter in a 106-104 NBA Cup loss to the Pacers.
Josh Hart isn't just missing shots. He's missing something harder to fix. After finishing scoreless Friday night and getting benched for the entire fourth quarter of New York's 106-104 NBA Cup loss to the Pacers in Indianapolis, Hart admitted the problem goes beyond his jumper.
"Wish I could tell you," Hart said when asked how he gets out of it. "Don't know. Right now I'm not in a good head space and I got to figure out how to improve that. And improve my play."
Hart is shooting just 36 percent on the season, a steep drop for a player who has long been valued for his energy and hustle more than his scoring. Asked to clarify what he meant by his struggles, Hart pointed inward rather than at his shot mechanics. "Just mentally. Got to be better mentally. Got to figure stuff out."
The 31-year-old is up for a contract extension, though the Knicks put out a statement in October declaring they're shutting down talks for now. For a team still carrying the expectations of a title defense, Hart's benching and his own admission of a rough headspace add to a season that has not gone according to plan from the start.