Knicks Guard Josh Hart Openly Admits Mental Struggles After Bench Role in Pacers Loss

New York Knicks guard Josh Hart candidly addressed his early-season struggles following a 106-104 NBA Cup loss to the Indiana Pacers on Friday night, admitting to reporters that he is currently not in a good mental space. Hart failed to score, missing all four of his field goal attempts during the defeat. Through nine appearances this season, he is shooting just 36.2 percent from the floor and 29.5 percent from beyond the arc.

The veteran guard had been averaging 8.3 points over his first eight games before his recent dip in production. His challenges on the court have coincided with physical setbacks, having missed three games last week due to an illness and a lingering ankle injury initially suffered in the preseason and later re-aggravated, according to reports from The Athletic and SNY.

Head coach Mike Brown recently noted that strong contributions from bench options like Landry Shamet and Deuce McBride could influence the rotation for struggling starters. While teammate Mikal Bridges showed signs of recovery against Indiana by scoring a season-high 18 points, Hart remains focused on resetting his mindset as the team prepares to face the Toronto Raptors on Sunday night.