Team USA is looking to bring home the gold medal at the FIBA World Cup for the first time since 2014 and so far, they are off to a great start. After defeating New Zealand 99-72 in their first game over the weekend, the Americans improved to 2-0 in group play with a 109-81 victory over Greece on Monday. While neither of them started the game, Los Angeles Lakers guard Austin Reaves and New York Knicks swingman Josh Hart were the heroes for USA Basketball in this one.

Reaves ended up being the player of the game, as he led the team with 15 points off the bench, but Hart did a little bit of everything to lead Team USA to a 27-point victory. In a total of 20 minutes, Hart recorded six points, five assists and 11 total rebounds, five of which came on the offensive-end of the floor.

He may not be an All-Star in the NBA, but Hart is one of the most impactful players in the league, hence why USA Basketball wanted him this summer. With the Knicks this past season, the former first-round pick not only shot the ball well from three-point range, but he was arguably the best non-frontcourt rebounder in the league. Whether it is scoring, defending, rebounding or all of the above, Hart gives it his all on the floor and always puts his team in a position to succeed.

“Josh is just a winner,” head coach Steve Kerr said after the team's victory over Greece, via New York Basketball. “People ask ‘What position does he play?’ He plays winner. I don’t know what position he plays but he gets loose balls, he guards anybody. At one point Spo [Erik Spoelstra] turned to me and said ‘Some people get 50-50 balls; he gets the 30-70 balls.'

“What he does just translates to winning.”

One of the main reasons why Hart made such a positive impact with the Knicks after being acquired in the middle of the season is because of how resilient he is. As Kerr alluded to, he's always going after 50-50 balls and he just excels at the role his team needs him in, regardless of what position he plays or the opportunity he will see.

“Ever since I’ve known Josh he’s been the same player, he’s had the same mindset,” Jalen Brunson, Hart's long-time teammate, stated after Monday's game. “He’s a hard working guy, has the ability to do things on the court as every other NBA player does, but he takes pride in always doing the little things on a nightly basis. He brings that toughness, that effort and he’s just a different man. He goes there and he’s relentless and he’s been doing that since the day I met him.”

Through two games at the World Cup, Hart has recorded 11 points, 15 rebounds and five assists while shooting 3-for-4 from the floor and 1-for-1 from three-point range. All the little things he does, such as going after loose balls and being a strong one-on-one defender, do not necessarily show up in the box score.

New York was extremely happy with the production and energy Hart brought to the table last season, which is why they awarded him with a new four-year, $81 million extension this offseason. His contributions have the United States in a great position to contend for the gold medal overseas and Hart will look to continue finding success as the Knicks look to compete for a title during the 2023-24 NBA season.