Wednesday at the Garden, the Knicks will face their former point guard and two former starting shooting guards. They would have also faced their former All-Star power forward, but he’s sick.
Most interestingly, the Knicks may also be facing their future point guard.
The 22-18 “Dallas Knicks” are in town.
Former Knicks lottery pick Kristaps Porzingis is out with COVID-19 and will miss his sixth straight game (former Knicks PG Jason Kidd, the Mavericks coach, is out for the same reason).
Reggie Bullock, who bolted for Dallas as a free agent, will play, as will Tim Hardaway Jr., who had two Knicks stints.
Frank Ntilikina, the longest tenured Knick last season who was not re-signed after being their prized lottery pick in 2017, is in the Dallas rotation and has been serviceable.
But of continuing intrigue is the status of the Mavericks current starting point guard Jalen Brunson, the first-ever client of Knicks president Leon Rose and son of ex-Knick Rick Brunson.
Jalen Brunson still has no contract extension, and the former second-round pick will be an unrestricted free agent at season’s end.
Multiple sources have told The Post that Rose still has interest, especially with the Knicks’ point guard situation still in flux. Kemba Walker may make his return Wednesday from a six-game absence with his arthritic knee.
Rick Brunson, a longtime former Tom Thibodeau assistant coach, will be on hand at the Garden to watch his son and surely schmooze with his former associates. There’s speculation Brunson will one day wind up on Thibodeau’s Knicks staff.
For whatever reason, Jalen Brunson, a lefty old-school playmaker, tweeted “Bing Bong’’ last week – mimicking the Knicks’ new rallying cry.
The former Villanova stud was expected by some to sign a contract extension before the season opener, but it never occurred. Brunson is averaging 16 points and 5.6 assists, but shooting 34 percent from deep.
In his last outing at the Garden, Brunson had a nice night against the Knicks, logging 15 points, 5 assists and 7 rebounds in a Mavericks victory.
After that game, Thibodeau said: “I am fond of Rick Brunson — his son is a terrific player and having a helluva year. I’m happy for him, watched him grow up. I remember him from the time he was coming to the Garden to watch Allan Houston and [Latrell] Sprewell play. He was six years old and mimicked their moves. He’s become a darn good player and become a great kid too.’’
Thibodeau never seemed fond of Ntilikina after inheriting him in 2020, the French point guard’s fourth season with the Knicks. He was out of the rotation early in the year.
The Mavericks would have drafted Ntilikina at No. 8 in the draft if the Knicks had taken Dennis Smith Jr. Mark Cuban visited the young player in France at the time.
Ntilikina has been a stout defender, but will never be a go-to scorer. In 30 games this season, he’s averaging 4.9 points. 1.5 assists and shooting 37.1 percent overall – 34.7 percent from three. Ntilikina missed five straight games with a calf strain in December, but is back in the mix.
“Frank has been great,’’ Cuban told The Post recently. “He is getting healthy again and has been a great contributor.’’
Meanwhile, Bullock hasn’t made the kind of impact he did with the Knicks, averaging just 6.5 points after signing a three-year mid-level deal worth $30 million. His three-point shooting is down to 31.8 percent from last season’s 41 percent.
Bullock has, however, played very well of late, shooting 47 percent from 3 in the last six games.
It seems Julius Randle and Bullock have each missed each other. They had a good connection last season, with Randle feeding him for many open looks off a double team.
“Just with the relationship that we had here, obviously he was great for us,’’ Randle said Tuesday. “He’s a great teammate and I’m happy to see that he’s playing well over there, especially as of late. Anytime I see my old teammates it’s always love, especially with him being a guy on our team last year. We’re all texting now. I think we’ll be tied in together forever. It’ll be love to see him for sure.’’
