PORTLAND, Ore. — Cam Reddish has been a consistent contributor so far with the Trail Blazers, but the Knicks certainly are not looking for any do-overs concerning the trade-deadline deal that brought multi-faceted guard Josh Hart to New York last month.
Hart excels defensively and regularly fills up the various categories on the stat sheet like he’s playing a game of Yahtzee.
That’s why Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau constantly says gushingly simple things such as “Josh is Josh,” as he did after Hart contributed eight points, eight rebounds, four assists and two game-sealing free throws in the closing seconds of Sunday’s win against the Lakers.
Hart and the Knicks will look to head home with a split of their four-game West Coast trip when they face the Blazers on Tuesday night at Moda Center.
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“It’s interesting. He’s what I would term a glue guy,” Thibodeau said Sunday about Hart. “You can start him, you can bring him off the bench. He’s an elite rebounder, but he’s a playmaker.
“And when I say playmaker I’m not talking about in the sense of just by the pass.
“If you need great defense, you need a loose ball, you need an offensive rebound, you need a shot, whatever it is that you need, he’ll provide. … He gets big rebounds late when the game is [on the line], and in traffic. And he’s all about the team and all about winning. He’s been a great fit for us.”
The Knicks have posted a 10-3 record to improve to 40-30 overall since the 28-year-old Hart joined them in a trade for Reddish, Ryan Arcidiacono, Svi Mykhailiuk and top-14 protected 2023 first-round draft pick on Feb 8.
Hart can become a free agent this summer if he declines a $12.96 million player option, as expected, but he has expressed an interest in signing a multi-year deal with the Knicks.
Reddish, who was acquired before last year’s deadline from Atlanta, had been benched by Thibodeau for more than two months since Dec. 3 after making 20 appearances with eight starts earlier this season.
The 23-year-old Reddish has been quoted since the trade as saying he believes politics and favoritism were factors in his banishment to the bench and his expulsion from the organization, adding he’s “enjoying basketball again” in Portland.
He is averaging 13.6 points and shooting 36.1 percent from 3-point range in 13 games (11 starts) since the trade.
Asked about Reddish, his former Duke teammate, after Sunday’s game, RJ Barrett said, “I’m just focusing on us. When we get there, we get there. Think about that tomorrow.”
The Blazers (31-37) have dropped 11 of 16 since Feb. 4 — including three straight road losses to the Celtics, the 76ers and the Pelicans entering Tuesday’s game — to fall to 13th position in the Western Conference standings.
They were two games removed from the 7-10 play-in scenario through Sunday’s action.
“Real important. We want to go .500 or better on the road [trip] and we have a chance to do that,” Julius Randle said after scoring 33 points Sunday against the Lakers.
The win not only halted a three-game losing streak for the Knicks, but it improved their road record this season to 21-14 to ensure a winning record away from Madison Square Garden for the year.
They only had posted a winning road mark once in the previous 25 seasons (2012-13).
“I think on the road, it’s just about the guys. I think that’s the biggest thing,” Hart said last week. “You don’t have as many distractions as there are at home, and I think on the road, that’s an advantage.
“I think we’ve shown we’re unselfish and play together, and that’s a big part of it. Obviously, we know any road game is always tough, so we’ve been locked in. And that’s probably the biggest thing.”
