Josh Hart has humorous take on replacing injured teammate's production

New York Knicks guard Josh Hart. Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

Knicks' Josh Hart offers humorous take on replacing injured star teammate's production

By Victor Barbosa | Last updated 1/29/24

New York Knicks fans learned Monday that star big man Julius Randle will likely be sidelined for " at least a few weeks" due to a shoulder injury.

Knicks shooting guard/small forward Josh Hart was asked about his teammate's absence and said that he knows he won't be able to duplicate the two-time All-Star's production, especially given their different body types.

Josh Hart on making up for Julius Randle's absence: "I think it’s gonna be a collective (effort), unless between now and game time I can put on 45 pounds of mostly muscle."
— Fred Katz (@FredKatz) January 29, 2024

Randle (listed at 6-foot-8, 250 pounds) is second on the team in scoring (24.0 points per game), rebounding (9.2 rebounds per game) and assists (5.0 per game) and is one of only two players on the squad to play in all 46 contests thus far. The southpaw has also posted a .472/.311/.781 shooting line and is third on New York in minutes per game (35.4).

Hart (listed at 6-foot-4, 215 pounds) is in his first full season with the Knicks after being acquired from the Portland Trail Blazers last February in a four-team trade that also included the Charlotte Hornets and the Philadelphia 76ers. Hart and Randle were previously teammates for one season with the Los Angeles Lakers during the former's rookie campaign in 2017-18.

The Villanova product has played in 45 of the team's 46 games this season (making six starts) and is third in assists (2.7 per contest) behind only point guard Jalen Brunson and Randle. Hart has averaged 7.3 points, 6.5 rebounds and 28.2 minutes per game as well.

New York is currently on an NBA-best six-game winning streak and sit in fourth place in the Eastern Conference at 29-17.

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