Knicks waiting on Josh Hart as lineup shuffles continue

The Knicks will be without Josh Hart a bit longer.

Hart will miss at least another week as he continues to recover from a sprained right ankle, the team announced, via Ian Begley of SNY.tv. He has begun light on-court work and will be reevaluated again in a week. The 30-year-old has been sidelined since injuring the ankle on December 25.

Hart’s absence has been part of a broader stretch of lineup shuffling for New York.

Mitchell Robinson missed his third straight game Friday due to what the team has described as left ankle injury management, according to Kristian Winfield of the New York Daily News. The Knicks say Robinson has not suffered any setbacks.

“We’d rather have him than not,” head coach Mike Brown said. “When we do, he protects us on the back side in a lot of different ways.”

Meanwhile, Karl-Anthony Towns was a late scratch Friday due to illness. He went through warmups but ultimately ruled himself out, Steve Popper of Newsday reported. It marked the third missed game of the season for the five-time All-Star.

With Hart sidelined, second-year wing Kevin McCullar Jr. has seen increased minutes and earned praise from Brown for his physicality and feel for the game.

“He does all the little things,” Brown said, via Jared Schwartz of the New York Post. “His toughness, his physicality without fouling, his ability to read matchups. That stuff matters.”

The Knicks continue to lean on depth and adaptability as they wait for key pieces to work their way back.