Knicks’ opposition to resting starters helping build valuable cohesion

Jalen Brunson understands the NBA All-Star Game needs to be more competitive. He also understands that any injury in the All-Star Game would be devastating and run contrary to the messaging/direction of the league. “We’re in the era of load management,” Brunson told The Post. “So if somebody gets hurt out there — knock on wood — but there’s a lot of what-ifs out there in a game where the franchise is putting a lot on a player. And if they go out there and play hard and something happens, obviously you hope it doesn’t happen but, what do you do?” The NBA put itself in a quandary, and that’s partly because most teams don’t operate like the Knicks. In this time of rest and “ramping up” and “re-evaluation in 2-4 weeks” and “injury maintenance,” Tom Thibodeau’s squad is again the leader in availability. More than a third of the way through the season, the starters have missed a combined three games. That’s just a regular week for Zion Williamson or Kawhi Leonard. No five-man group in the NBA has logged more minutes together than Brunson, Mikal Bridges, Josh Hart, OG Anunoby and Karl-Anthony Towns. The Rockets’ starters are No. 2 at 372 minutes heading into Sunday. In other words, the Knicks starters had played the equivalent of nearly two full games more than any other group. If you pay for a Knicks game ticket, you can feel safe their stars will be in uniform. • CHECK OUT THE LATEST NBA STANDINGS AND KNICKS STATS Three of the top five players in total minutes played this season are Knicks. Part of that is because of the lack of depth — their bench is dead last in minutes and scoring — and the other part is just The Thibs Way. As long as the Knicks are healthy, it’s a workable strategy. The benefit is a cohesion that is developing nicely in the holiday season, with the Knicks (18-10) winning eight of their last 10 and suddenly hitting their defensive stride. “The pieces we added, the pieces brought back, it’s a recipe for success,” Miles McBride, the only Knick reserve averaging more than 20 minutes, told The Post. “I feel like guys are coming in and putting winning first. I feel like when you have a team coming together like that, we’re going to roll forward. Of course, the Knicks were similarly rolling last season before a rash of injuries befell the franchise. The biggest worry is usually Anunoby, who is averaging a career high in minutes, but missed over 100 games the previous four seasons. In Saturday’s victory over the Pelicans, the two-way wing was back to wearing a brace over his surgically repaired right elbow — a familiar sight from last season. He also received treatment on his leg/foot area in the locker room after logging 37 minutes. It’s a tiny reminder that success and health can be fickle. “I think we’re in a good place right now. But still a long way to go,” Brunson said. “It’s not even Christmas yet, not even New Year’s, a lot of basketball to be played.” Indeed, there are many games remaining and Brunson will likely be part of an extra one — the All-Star Game — which has been revamped again by Adam Silver with the goal of creating something more competitive. One of many underlying issues is that priorities have shifted so heavily to winning a championship — to the point that a team should tank if it’s not a realistic title contender, and to where a player’s legacy is almost entirely judged by his number of rings — that the regular season has become just a long drag. And if players are shrugging off the regular season because of injury risks, you can imagine how they treat the All-Star Game. It’s turned into a low-energy but high-flying pickup game that needs more juice for Silver to satisfy the corporate sponsors and partners. “I get where the NBA is coming from. I get where the teams are coming from. And the players,” Brunson said. “I don’t know, find a happy medium.” Silver’s latest compromise attempt is a convoluted four-team tournament, a format so confusing Brunson asked, “Can you explain it to me?” “I’m all for new ideas,” the point guard smiled. The Knicks, under Thibodeau, have held on to one idea consistently— suit up when healthy. It’s helped them get to late December in a good place.