Less than three months ago, Josh Hart was perplexed. Confused. “Lost,” in his words.

The Knicks recently lost an exhibition match to the Wizards, leaving Hart feeling frustrated. He was acquired by Leon Rose in 2023 and has been a key player for the team. Despite this, Hart struggled in the preseason, only scoring two points.

Maybe, he floated, a move to the bench could help.

It didn’t take long for any lingering anguishes to become abating worries and then fade altogether once the regular season arrived.

Nevertheless, Hart maintained his position as a starter for the team. He has been consistently present in games, only missing one due to personal reasons. Hart has been putting up impressive numbers, possibly some of the best in his career.

Following the Knicks’ win against the Raptors with a score of 112-98, Hart’s stellar performance stood out as he achieved 21 points, 11 rebounds, and seven assists. This almost marked his fifth triple-double of the year, showing his dedication to supporting his teammates and being a valuable player for the Knicks.

So even if his role in the spotlight doesn’t contain the same number of lumens as that of Jalen Brunson or Karl-Anthony Towns, the 29-year-old remains an integral part of the Knicks operation entering a rematch with the surging Thunder (30-6) on Friday at the Garden.

Hart has averaged 15.3 points, 11.3 rebounds and 6.0 assists per game since Dec. 21, and with season marks of 14.4 points and 9.1 rebounds per game, he, at the very least, will have a shot at averaging a double-double for the first time in his career.

“Off the court, I don’t know what he’s gonna say,” Towns said Wednesday. “And on the court, I don’t know what he’s gonna do. I think I’ve become the biggest fan of Josh Hart because I just don’t know what I’m gonna see from Josh Hart that night.”

Towns’ return from a one-game absence emerged as the dominating storyline against the Raptors, but Hart continued to jolt the Knicks at various points.

He dribbled out of the corner and threaded an extra pass to a cutting Mikal Bridges for a basket.

He drove from the perimeter and finished a reverse layup while tumbling to the court.

He spotted OG Anunoby on the wing for a 3-pointer while a cluster of players crammed around him in the paint.

He snagged an offensive rebound in traffic and sparked a second-chance sequence eventually ending with a Towns 3, too.

Ask him about making the All-Star Game, though, and Hart will poke holes in his own candidacy by pointing out the “glitz and glamour” his game lacks, the need for other Knicks to earn nods, even the desire to just “have my toes touch some sand” on vacation during the break.

“To make sure JB and KAT are in the right situations and finding them when they’re open so they don’t gotta work so hard,” Hart said Wednesday. “To make sure Mikal and OG are playing well, getting open shots, getting good shots and making sure these guys reach their goal and their accomplishments and get All-Star love and those kinda things. So I think I’m most happy that those guys are playing well, and that’s something that I want to continue to do.”

So he’ll continue to bring the “energy” that head coach Tom Thibodeau described as a talent.

He’ll continue to get the rebounds, to chase the loose balls, to push the pace and help the Knicks operate with speed — which plays into the strength of the other four starters around him.

“He’s always there,” Towns said. “He’s always there when you need him.”

At some point, concerns about his role could pop up again — maybe not until next season, when that edition’s roster construction settles into place.

They materialized in 2023, when Hart said he felt “not included” as a sharp 3-point decline seeped into November.

They popped up 11 months later, too, with his alarming preseason comments from Capital One Arena.

Then, the 38-game U-turn began.