New York Knicks guard Josh Hart reflected on his time with the Portland Trail Blazers, explaining how a conversation with one of his coaches changed his understanding of his role on the court.
Hart recalled enjoying considerable offensive freedom when he first arrived in Portland following a trade from the New Orleans Pelicans in 2022.
With several key players unavailable, he had more opportunities to score and put together some of the most productive offensive performances of his career.
“I got traded in Portland. I played like 12, 15 games in Portland. I was hooping. I was averaging like 20. I was shooting like 37% from three. I was hooping.”
However, Hart explained that his situation changed when Portland returned to a healthier roster featuring Damian Lillard, Anfernee Simons, Jusuf Nurkic and Jerami Grant.
The increased offensive talent meant that Hart was no longer receiving the same scoring opportunities he had enjoyed during his initial stretch with the team.
“And then the next year, you know, guys were hurt. We weren’t a playoff team. Guys are sitting, so you just have the opportunity. And then the next year it’s like Dame’s back, Ant’s back, you had Nurk, Jerami Grant was there.”
Hart admitted that he initially struggled to understand why the coaching staff was no longer running plays for him.
When he raised the issue, one of Portland’s coaches offered a straightforward explanation that forced him to reconsider his offensive priorities.
“And I’m saying, I’m like, ‘Bro, I haven’t got one play called… And one of my coaches looked at me, was like, ‘Yeah, you’re a solid scorer, but they do it so much better.’ And that changed my mental.”
Rather than continuing to focus on his own scoring opportunities, Hart began recognizing the advantages of creating shots for teammates who were more effective offensive players.
He specifically pointed to Lillard’s exceptional shooting range as an example of why the team benefited from having its primary scorers take more shots.
“I look at Dame, he’s shooting from like 35. I’m like, ‘Yeah, I think I’d rather have him shooting from 35 than me, you know, me just shooting shots.’ So then it just changed my whole thinking of, ‘Okay, how can I get these guys shots?’”
