Jalen Brunson: Knicks can’t just assume another deep playoff run

The Knicks look like one of the East’s elite — but Jalen Brunson isn’t about to let anyone in that locker room get comfortable.

“Hopefully we don’t have that mindset going into the season where we think we’re just going to jump back into the Eastern Conference Finals,” Brunson told Games Hub (via Kristian Winfield of the New York Post).

“We need to be able to go through this process again and continue to get better and to fight to get over that hump.”

That “hump,” of course, was two games shy of the NBA Finals.

New York returns nearly the entire core that got them there, only this time they’ve added reinforcements: Jordan Clarkson, Guerschon Yabusele and a handful of others battling for camp spots.

The biggest change? Mike Brown replacing Tom Thibodeau on the bench, with a reputation for leaning deeper into his rotation than his predecessor.

Brunson likes the direction — but he doesn’t want anyone mistaking “steps” for “arrivals.”

“I think we’ve been taking steady steps every year,” he said. “The best part about our team is the chemistry we’ve grown and we’ve created. … Everyone says, ‘Oh, you need to get experience.’

“Well, this is us getting experience. This is literally us going through the trials and tribulations of being a good team.”

Translation: chemistry is nice, experience is nice, but the Knicks still need to finish the job.

Brunson also singled out Karl-Anthony Towns, who fit seamlessly into New York’s offense after arriving from Minnesota.

Towns earned third-team All-NBA honors in his first Knicks season, and Brunson thinks he’s still only scratching the surface.

“Having him as a teammate has been really fun,” Brunson said. “Obviously, he’s a great player … but the teammate he is and what he brings to the locker room for us is special. …

“He shoots the ball so effortlessly, and he can make plays. He has great touch around the rim, so he’s pretty much his own person.”

New York may be one of the East’s top two on paper. But Brunson’s message is simple: banners aren’t raised in September.