Before the 2018-2019 Regular Season even started, I knew that Josh Hart was going to impact this team. However, nobody could’ve predicted that Hart would’ve been this good this quick. Out of all the Lakers so far, Josh Hart is the second biggest surprise to me behind Javale McGee. The former Villanova standout is the perfect fit for someone like LeBron. A sniper that can also create for himself when he needs to. His play so far this season has proven that correct.
Who is Josh Hart?
As I said earlier, a former Villanova Wildcat standout from Silver Spring, Maryland. He had a slow freshman year at Villanova, averaging just under eight PPG. He showed flashes of what he could be, but he couldn’t put it all together at the time. His Sophomore year, he improved to score over ten PPG, won Most Outstanding Player of the 2015 Big East Tournament, and won 6th man of the year in the Big East. His Junior year was his breakout season where he averaged over fifteen PPG, was selected as a third-team All-American, and led Villanova to their 2nd National Title in program history. He pulled his name from the 2016 draft to return for his senior year. His senior year, he averaged just under nineteen PPG, and finally thought he was ready for the NBA.
Josh’s NBA Career
Josh Hart was originally drafted by the Utah Jazz before being traded to the Lakers. He played in 63 games, starting 23 of them, averaging 9.7 PPG and 23.2 MPG. The rest of his games were played in the G-League. Hart in the 2018 Las Vegas Summer League averaged 22.4 PPG and was easily the MVP. This created a lot of excitement around him in the Lakers organization. Through eleven games this season, he’s averaging 12.1 PPG on 28 MPG off the bench. Those numbers will improve as he continues to do great things while on the floor.
What’s In Store?
Laker nation, please don’t go overboard with this guy and put expectations on him. He’s a young and developing player that has loads of potential. It’s a long season, so he’s going to have his ups and downs. However, LeBron is going to lead this guy down the right path, and if he continues this play and improves along the way, he’ll be a Laker for a very long time.
