PORTLAND, Ore. — Josh Hart sat back and watched as his team’s losses piled up. With each passing New York Knicks game, he contemplated a return. His mind was telling him yes. His ankle was telling him no.

In a matter of weeks, New York was seemingly free-falling from elite company to just another team in the NBA. It looked disjointed. Frail. Exhausted. Going into Sunday’s game against the red-hot Portland Trail Blazers, the Knicks had lost five of six. The drop took place while Hart was in street clothes on the bench or in his pajamas watching from home due to a right ankle injury he sustained Christmas Day.

Immediately after the injury, the Knicks squeaked out wins, even if they were ugly wins — or ones they didn’t necessarily deserve. They found a way. The drop in form caught up in the loss column. Being the more talented team wasn’t doing the trick anymore. The Knicks were losing badly to teams they might see down the road.

That’s when Hart, waiting in the shadows, wondered if he should rush back.

“My plan, originally, I wanted to come back the Clippers game,” Hart said, referring to the Knicks’ opponent Wednesday. “I learned a day or two before that was not going to happen because of how it was feeling. If we were on a good little run, I probably would have taken a couple more days, couple more games, but I felt like I could come in and help with where I am right now. If I’m banged up a little bit, I go out and play, get the movement, and it helps me heal faster.”

New York, after eight soul-searching games, got its Hart back against the Blazers and grabbed a gritty 123-114 win against one of the better teams in the NBA in recent weeks. It was as if Hart didn’t miss a beat. He won 50-50 balls. He got the Knicks to play faster. He played connector.

JOSH HART GOT US HYPED.

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“We needed it. We need him at his best,” Jalen Brunson said. “Those first two shots he made, those two 3s, and the layup, too, were big time for us. His energy is contagious, and I’m happy to have him back.”

Lately, the Knicks have started slowly. More often than not, coach Mike Brown was beating his counterparts on the other end of the court to call the first timeout of a game. In Portland, Hart scored eight points in the first four minutes. New York started with an energy that it hasn’t had in quite some time. It looked focused and together. It was everything it hadn’t been for the last two weeks.

There’s a reason Brown started with Hart. There’s a reason he closed with him, too. When Hart is on the floor, anything can happen. A possession can be extended. A loose ball can be won. An extra pass can be made. “Winning players” is what we call those guys, and Hart is among the best of them in the NBA.

New York was 3-5 while Hart was out. Before his injury, the Knicks were 11-3 when he started games. Now they’re 12-3. At a point, it’s not a coincidence.

“A lot of our guys are irreplaceable, but especially a guy like Josh who does so many little things for you,” Brown said. “Sometimes they don’t even show up in the stat sheet. To have him back is good. To have him back helps with our pace because he gets out and runs, throws it ahead or pushes the ball at an extremely fast pace. We get easy baskets when we play like that.”

The Knicks just feel more complete with Hart. He brings out everyone’s superpowers while sliding through the cracks to utilize his own. The best teams in the NBA have these players. Champions have these players. Draymond Green in Golden State. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope with both the Lakers and Nuggets. Lu Dort in Oklahoma City.

Every team, especially those packed with individual talent, need low-maintenance players who can get in where they fit in and do what others are unwilling to do. This is where Hart earns his bones. He’s New York’s cup of Joe in the morning.

“For me, we ask so much of OG (Anunoby) and Mikal (Bridges) defensively, and we ask a lot of (Karl-Anthony Towns) offensively in terms of being patient and sacrificing, those kind of things,” Hart said. “So, for me, when I’m out there, I want to get those guys shots when they’re open. I want to give them on-time, on-target passes and a good rhythm.”

New York still has to climb out of this hole its put itself in and prove once again to the world that it is, in fact, a title contender. A win in Portland is a good first step. However, with Hart back in the fold, that feels more feasible than it did just a day ago.

For this Knicks team, and their makeup, Hart feels irreplaceable. If you didn’t think so before, it’s getting harder to argue against it now.

“He’s a big part of what we do, regardless of what people say,” Brunson said. “I’m just happy he’s back.”