In the eyes of Josh Hart, one layer to the Knicks’ defensive surge — where they’ve been one of the league’s best teams at forcing turnovers, and, by extension, one of the league’s best units over the past month — revolves around personnel.
The return of center Mitchell Robinson, and all of the shot blocking and rebounding he provides, has certainly added a jolt.
But it takes more than just that. It takes moments like the one late in the third quarter Sunday, when the Trail Blazers’ Duop Reath sent a pass toward the wing and OG Anunoby jumped into the ball’s path, sprinted upcourt and finished a dunk.
It takes moments like the one early in the fourth quarter, when Hart stripped Deni Avdija and raced down the court to convert a layup.