The New York Knicks kicked off their 2025 preseason against the Philadelphia 76ers on Thursday. The game served as the debut for new Knicks head coach Mike Brown. However, he may have lost one of his key players to injury already. Miles McBride may have to pick up the slack for Josh Hart, who left the game with a lower back issue after receiving an ejection against Philadelphia.

Hart was a key piece of New York's run to the 2025 Eastern Conference finals. The undersized guard is one of the team's better rebounders and its emotional leader. However, the veteran is 30 years old, making any injury a concern for New York to monitor. According to ESPN's Brian Windhorst, Hart's exit was not because he got hurt. Instead, the ejection took him out of the game.

“The Knicks said that Josh Hart didn't come back to the game because he was ejected. Not because he had the injury,” Windhorst reported. “We'll see how much that changes over the next couple of days.”

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Brown spoke to the media about his guard's health, telling reporters that Hart will be re-evaluated on Friday.

“Lower back soreness. We'll see how he feels tomorrow,” Brown said. “I didn't see him go down. I just saw him down and he looked like he was in considerable pain when he was down. He's day-to-day and we'll see how he feels tomorrow.”

Missing Hart for any stretch of time would be a tough blow for the Knicks. New York bolstered its depth by signing Guerschon Yabusele, Landry Shamet, and other pieces during the offseason. However, Brown needs a player like Hart to protect the team's depth as they chase a title next season. For the time being McBride figures to be the first player to fill in for Hart in the back court.