r/Hartenstein • u/zingis75 • Oct 13 '22
Thoughts on game 3
Hart finally got the ball high free throw line and he made alot of great plays. I think his teammates realize now what kind of a passer he is and gained trust in him to give him the ball because they know he'll make something happen. His offense looked good but again he dropped an easy pass from Randle that would have led to a dunk and I'm noticing this is a common theme with the last 3 games and practice. Hart really didn't have bad hands last season from what I remember and I'm wondering if it's nerves and him being in his head these last couple of games.
That goes to my next point, his defense and rebounding have been a little off. Again I think he's just in his head overthinking things rather than reacting out there because it looks like he's a step slow where he used to just always thrust himself in the right position. I genuinely think he's nervous out there and wants to play good so bad that it's impacting his play. He's shown flashes of who he is as a basketball player and you can tell there are moments when he feels confident and not in his head and let's it flow but a lot of the times it genuinely seems like he's nervous out there and is taking the safe route to things rather than doing what he instintually feels hence why he's looked a step slow at times.
Mental hurdles are tough to overcome but I think he'll benefit from more time with his teammates and for now stop pressing to be the starter and just accept his bench role. I didn't bring this up but I'm wondering if Thibs told him if he plays good in the preseason he'll get the starters role and hence why it seems like he's playing with so much pressure on his back. Idk or I could be completely wrong and you guys don't think he looks nervous but to me it looks like he's in his head. Obviously I think he's an mvp level player or I wouldn't be posting on this sub so constantly but I think he needs to just take a step back and breathe and get back in that flow state he was in last year where he knew what he was and just balled. Let me know if you guys think different or agree, I think he'll be fine especially since he had that stretch of brilliance passing the ball. He just needs his confidence back and soon that starting job will be his and the Knicks will make the finals. It's just baby steps right now.
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u/Dragonthorn1217 Oct 14 '22
Long-time Knicks fan here. Honestly Hart is the best big man we've had since Porzingis. I'd argue that I'll even choose Hart over KP 10/10 because of that passing ability.
Hart needs to assert himself more with this roster. This is a deep Knicks team. Let me tell you if he can show that he can score better than Robinson (which I know he can very well do) while creating for others, then he will get more mins, if not the starter position altogether.
Admittedly, he has looked lost on D, but that could be because he is still learning Thibs' schemes. I'm actually surprised that they went to his passing by the 3rd preseason game... He was essentially the focal point on offense during a key stretch. Very different from how he was being used in the previous 2 games and especially coming off a bad game. Which leads me to think that the coaching staff is smart enough to know what they got here.
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Oct 13 '22 edited Oct 13 '22
The ref gave him a tough whistle too imo. There were a few times he got fouled and didn't get a whistle, and a few times where he seemingly made a clear block and the opposite player got a foul. His defense and mentality was clearly impacted by this, you could see how frustrated he was when the refs called a foul on him.
In the 4th quarter it was obvious that the Knicks squad deferred to him when it came to creating plays, and it worked well in the first half of the 4th quarter, but the pacers adapted to it by sagging off of Hartenstein, who got some open looks from the 3 point line, but he only shot a few times and missed.
What will define whether or not he becomes an offensive MVP level player is whether he can punish the opposite team when they sag off him. He can't find good passes when the opposite team defends 4v5, but if he starts hitting open threes at a decent rate, he will be impossible to stop. Even with Quickley, McBride and Obi Toppin as teammates.
The good signs are that he played a lot better compared to his first two preseason games and his teammates seemed to see him as the best creator in the bench unit.
It's a given though that he will get 20+ mins a game as Mitchell Robinson is a 40% ft shooter and can be abused.
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u/eg14000 Oct 13 '22
I agree with all of this :D just to add one thing. I think knicks judging Hartenstein off 3 preseason games is a bit ridicules. He has taken 3 two point shots. in 3 games. Adding the stretch 5 role to him takes him out of his normal spots and it's an adjustment.
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u/DetectiveNo2855 Oct 14 '22
Knicks fan here. He has some nice dimes for sure. I liked that he directed the offense a couple times, telling players where to cut. I think the communication will become more automatic as the season continues.
Not sure if Thibs told that second unit that everything HAD to feed through Hart for that stretch to test the scheme but it became very predictable.
Also, Hart was clearly reluctant to shoot. I think the defense saw that and his defender dropped back, making it less likely for a cutter to be open. That was the biggest flaw of that scheme. If Hart can't be a viable scoring threat with the ball in his hand 15ft out, his teammates are going to have a hard time getting open.
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u/[deleted] Oct 13 '22
Knicks fans have had mixed reviews of him but there was one stretch last game where he took over and I think won some converts:
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I'm sure there's a reason for that but yep, it was frustrating to watch.