The crossover “reunion” of Josh Hart and Cam Reddish

The exchange before the “trade deadline” between the Knicks and the Blazers for Cam Reddish And Josh Hart will be part of these “win-win” deals for both teams and both players. Both sides will have the opportunity to see this tonight as Portland hosts a New York team re-boosted by their latest success on the Lakers floor.

The perfect setting for both players

If Cam Reddish experienced his arrival in Oregon as a release after waxing the bench in NYC, for Josh Hart too, the transplant with the Knicks team was positive. How could it be otherwise? The player so embodies the values ​​cherished by fans of the “Big Apple” in surpassing oneself and positive aggressiveness.

“He’s what I would call a ‘glue guy.’ We can get him started, we can get him off the bench. He’s a top rebounder, but he’s also a creator. And when I say creator, I’m not just talking about making passes.”, recalled Tom Thibodeauconquered by the profile of his recruit. “If you need good defense, fetching a loose ball, offensive rebound, shooting, whatever you need, he’ll get it. He takes big rebounds late in the game, when the win is on the line, and goes into traffic. He thinks only of the team and of winning. It suits us perfectly”.

In Portland, Chauncey Billups is just as satisfied with his rookie, to the point of making him his starting winger, and leaving him “free” in attack. ” I think he was sometimes a bit surprised by the freedom he was given. It allows him to tap into what he is and who he is. He didn’t have that kind of freedom. He’s learning more and more about what he can do with us and how we want things to be done. “, testifies the coach of Portland.

The victory before the accolades

These “reunions” will however remain in the background as both teams will have victory in their sights. On the one hand, New York wants to stay in the Top 6 in the East, while Portland wants to get back into the peloton which is playing the “play-in”. Asked about the prospect of reuniting with Cam Reddish, also his former teammate at Duke, RJ Barrett clearly kicked into touch. “I’m just focused on us. We’ll see when we get there.”

After conceding three consecutive defeats, including a last rather nasty one against the Pelicans, the Blazers are more than ever with their backs to the wall. For their part, the Knicks will be keen to heal their very good away record (21v-14d), in addition to taking their revenge on the first leg, where Jerami Grant (44 points) had, like so many others , took pleasure in shining at MSG.

“I think on the outside it’s only the guys that matter. This is the most important thing”explained Josh Hart last week. “There are not as many distractions as at home. I think we have shown that we are selfless, that we can play together, and that plays a big part in that.”.

Lucky charm of the Knicks since his arrival (10 successes in 13 games), there is no doubt that Josh Hart will bring his stone to the building with a view to confirming the good performance of his new team outside.