Knicks’ Josh Hart Admits Attitude Issue With Refs

New York Knicks forward Josh Hart wears his emotion on his sleeves.

When his team is up, Hart is celebrating, and when they are not, he is equally as expressive. Hart shared that he is hoping to remain more even-keeled as the season rolls around.

“Yeah, I mean, end of the day, I’ve got to be more composed,” Hart said h/t Posting and Toasting. “First one last game [in Houston], they missed a call and [referee] Tyler Ford came to me and said, ‘I missed that call.’ [Wednesday in Atlanta], I felt like it was the same way. It doesn’t matter the way the game was being officiated. I can’t let that dictate my energy level or my mood. Especially a game like this—it’s a close game. [Every] point is huge, so I’ve got to be better with controlling that and being more composed in those situations.”

Hart is one of just 12 players in the league who already have multiple technical fouls on the season. Even though Hart sits behind the likes of Jabari Smith Jr., Luka Doncic and Jayson Tatum for the league lead with three, he is well above the league average for technicals.

The Knicks feed off of Hart’s energy, whether it be good or bad, and he recognizes that. If Hart can showcase more composure during these games, the Knicks likely will follow suit.

Perhaps that’s an ingredient the Knicks could use more of, especially in close contests like the loss against the Atlanta Hawks earlier this week. Hart will learn from his mistakes and look to correct them in hopes of being on the right side of an outcome next time.

The Knicks are back in action tonight against Giannis Antetokounmpo and the struggling Milwaukee Bucks. Tipoff is set for 7:30 p.m. ET.

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