Josh Hart's sophomore season didn't exactly as planned. To avoid the struggles going forward that kept him from living up to expectations in 2018-19, the Los Angeles Lakers guard first needs to achieve a clean bill of health, and seems well on his way to doing so.
In an Instagram post on Wednesday captured by Harrison Feigen of SBNation, Hart posted a video of him running underwater with the caption “first time running in two months.”
https://twitter.com/hmfaigen/status/1126222123930771457
Hart underwent surgery on his right patellar tendon on March 28th. He was initially scheduled to return to basketball activities three months from going under the knife; about half that amount of time has already elapsed.
After an MVP-winning performance at Las Vegas Summer League in July, many expected Hart to emerge as a two-way cog for the Lakers this season, especially given the presence of LeBron James. Los Angeles, after all, needed reliable shooters who double as dogged, versatile defenders more than ever with James aboard, a role Hart seemed poised to fill ably.
The Villanova product still might do so, but it didn't happen in his second NBA campaign as he was limited by knee tendonitis dating back to February. Hart averaged 7.8 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 1.0 steals per game this season, shooting 40.7 percent from the floor and 33.6 percent from beyond the arc – numbers both way down from his rookie-year marks. His relative lack of quickness and explosion was often exploited when he was matched up against quality opposing ball handlers, too.
Hart still has the tools to be a big part of the Lakers' future. Here's hoping he's healthy enough to show them on a consistent basis going forward.
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