Jalen Brunson made it back to the Knicks for four April appearances after missing most of March with a badly sprained ankle.
The All-Star point guard and first-year team captain was not at his peak efficiency as he got his legs back under him following a four-week absence, but coach Tom Thibodeau has no doubt Brunson will be ready to lead the Knicks against the Pistons when the first round of the playoffs begins Saturday evening at the Garden.
“Never,” Thibodeau replied Tuesday when asked if he ever takes Brunson for granted. “You guys see it every night. It doesn’t surprise you.
“I try not to take it for granted, and I appreciate all he brings to our team and that he plays to win. His competitive spirit is spectacular. That’s all he wants to do and that’s all he’s ever been from when he was a little kid to where he is today. That’s what makes him who he is.”
The 28-year-old Brunson returned from a 15-game absence on April 6 against Phoenix, and he averaged 21.0 points on 43.5 percent shooting in the four games he needed to reach 65 for the season — the minimum requirement to qualify for postseason awards and All-NBA consideration.
The former Villanova standout has also consistently displayed the ability to raise his level of play in the postseason during his time in Dallas and his first two years with the Knicks.
That includes a white-hot stretch last year bridging the first two rounds against the 76ers and the Pacers, in which he scored at least 40 points in four consecutive games (42.8 ppg).
Brunson became just the fourth NBA player to accomplish the feat and the first since Michael Jordan in the 1993 Finals. The others to do so were Lakers great Jerry West (six straight games in 1965) and Knicks legend Bernard King (four in 1984).
Brunson noted Tuesday that he tries to have the “same mindset, same approach and just the same mentality” in the playoffs. But he admitted this has been “an interesting year” for the Knicks, who added two new starters in Karl-Anthony Towns and Mikal Bridges following two straight second-round eliminations.
“I think for us, it’s, like any other season, it’s a roller coaster every year, there’s gonna be ups and downs, and it’s all about how you manage it,” Brunson said. “But now that the regular season’s over, it’s all about how we can move on and be better the next day.
“I know it’s a term that people don’t like to hear, but we learn from what we did in the past, good and bad, and move on and get better. That’s the name of the game at this stage of the season. … So we’re just focused. We still got a long way to go with preparation, still got a long way to go making sure we’re ready to go for Saturday. We’ll be ready.”
Brunson finished the regular season averaging 26.0 points and a career-best 7.3 assists. He was even better in the four games against the Pistons, averaging 28.3 points and 7.8 assists.
He said he believes his conditioning coming off the ankle issue is “close” to full strength. Asked about his confidence level in the Knicks entering the playoffs, he replied, “What kind of confidence do I have? The most.”
Indeed, spoken like a true captain.
“For me, having the title as captain is an honor,” Brunson said. “I think the more I go through, the more I learn, the more I can be better at it.
“To be able to go out there and help put us in position to be in the playoffs and stuff like that, obviously, I don’t take it for granted, but there’s a long way to go with me being the best version of that title.”
