Leave it to Walt Frazier to paint it most properly in Philadelphia.
“Every time I give up on [Emmanuel] Mudiay,” the MSG Network analyst said, “he comes up with a good game.”
It’s actually two good games, as Mudiay is suddenly thriving in his demoted role off the bench after crashing and burning as a starter for 14 straight contests.
On Sunday, Jeff Hornacek pulled the plug on Mudiay in Washington, moving Trey Burke into the starting lineup, and it has revived the 22-year-old point-guard enigma.
“Just staying the course,” Mudiay said after scoring 22 points in 24 minutes Wednesday in the loss to the 76ers. “I feel I was playing downhill basketball. When I do that, I’m at my best.’’
In Sunday’s Washington win, Mudiay scored 11 points with seven assists and zero turnovers in a smooth-as-silk outing. He sat out Monday in Charlotte with a lingering sinus infection before returning in Philly to become an attacking force who spearheaded a Knicks comeback in the second quarter. He was a minus-1 in a 17-point loss.
“I don’t want to say surprised,’’ said Mudiay, who is still laboring through an illness. “You can hear I’m struggling a little bit [with sickness]. Just trying to help teammates as much as possible. I‘m just trying to go out there and be aggressive, let my lungs open up, fighting this [infection].”
Hornacek indicated he will stick with this lineup for the final six games of another melancholy season. In this setup, rookie Frank Ntilikina, who disappeared offensively against the 76ers (1-of-6), will stay mostly off the ball as shooting guard.
That’s the dilemma of Hornacek having to audition three 25-and-under lottery picks so team president Steve Mills and GM Scott Perry can make decisions on next season. The Knicks could one day regret not giving Ntilikina — even after the Mudiay trade — a chance at major minutes in the G-League at point guard to get more polish.
“He’s a point guard,” an NBA scout who works in Europe told The Post this week. “That’s what he is. He’s not a shooting guard because he’s not a scorer. What he is, is a team player and maybe he’s not an All-Star, but he’ll be a damn good point guard in this league.”
The optimistic view on Mudiay is he’s been here just seven weeks and, in another era, would be a college senior.
“It’s my first time being traded,” Mudiay said. “It’s the hardest adjustment as a player, especially when you don’t know the system. On top of that, you have to get used to the new teammates I have. It’s definitely a different adjustment, getting a full year and full training camp can help definitely.
“It’s more so being patient. I probably thought it was going to happen a lot faster.”
Adjusting from Nuggets coach Mike Malone’s coaching style to Hornacek’s is also a factor.
“They got different styles but as people, they are both great people,’’ said Mudiay, who was acquired from Denver before the trade deadline. “Obviously the offense is different and we all play different styles. It’s been good, but I’m trying to get used to it. [Malone] texted me a few times to say keep working. This year, me and him took the relationship to the next level.”
Meanwhile, Burke, who posted an Allen Iverson-like 42-point game in Charlotte, feels he’s earned the chance to finish out as the starter, though he was disappointed in his floor leadership against the 76ers (three turnovers, minus-18).
“Something I’m not focused on, but I expect to finish the season as starter if that’s what you’re asking me,” Burke said. “I’m evaluating the way I’m running the team, the way I’m getting guys involved. The way the machine is running when I’m out there. I got to continue to get these guys on board and play 48 minutes.”
As one NBA scout told The Post this week, Hornacek isn’t as much coaching as auditioning. He’s been a solid company man who may get fired anyway for doing everything his bosses would want of him.
“Like the other day [in Charlotte], he was on the attack,” Hornacek said of Mudiay. “He’s got the ballhandling ability to get in there on pick-and-rolls, hold guys off and make that little shot. He’s trying the best he can. I don’t think his mentality is any different than when he was starting.”
And so it dances on with the Knicks’ point-guard trio: The Enigma, The Frenchman and The Answer Lite.
