Josh Hart

Karl-Anthony Towns may draw a power forward, not a center, in the 76ers' Oct. 20 opener at the Knicks: Nick Nurse is weighing putting his center on Josh Hart. The upside: more switching on screens. The risk: can Towns pass, rebound, post up and shoot over a power forward?

Asked whether whatever kept Josh Hart out could linger into Oct. 20, Knicks coach Mike Brown said: "Not from— not from my understanding, yeah." He gave no detail on what the issue was, so the reason Hart sat remains unexplained.

Josh Hart, with Knicks extension talks on hold: "We're human. Sometimes it's difficult, you know, if you don't know what your future is." It's not frustrating, he said, since he's under contract with a team trying to repeat. The team has to block out rumors on social media.

Andre Drummond is a far better passer than Josh Hart expected, and the Knicks have to find him more on rolls to the rim, Hart said: "When he rolls, he commands attention and sometimes he's able to get deep seals and we missed him a couple of times" in the last Wizards game.

"Those 5, they gonna play... everybody else in this gym, you fighting." Knicks coach Mike Brown told his team Jalen Brunson, Mikal Bridges, OG Anunoby, Karl-Anthony Towns and Josh Hart will play; everyone else is fighting to make the team or for minutes.

From Knicks practice: Josh Hart said "my knees are achy a little bit," raised amid talk of league wear and tear, not as a reason to sit. "That's also why I don't think I'm gonna play till 40." On a deep rotation: "Might not be my night, and I'm cool with it."

Josh Hart says the short summer after the title didn't hurt his conditioning: "probably 3 weeks after, I was, I was kind of back working out," lifting at 6:30 most days in July and August. Asked how good college friend Jalen Brunson is: "it's not LeBron, let's relax."