Tom Thibodeau returned to Chicago for two games with the Knicks, generating plenty of reminders of the five seasons he spent there coaching the Bulls from 2010-2015.

With that in mind, Thibodeau offered an interesting answer when asked if he believed the Knicks’ Mitchell Robinson can develop into a well-rounded center the way Joakim Noah morphed from a defense-minded player to an MVP candidate for the Bulls under his tutelage.

“Every player is different. Mitch has different strengths,” Thibodeau said before Robinson contributed eight points and 11 rebounds to the Knicks’ 107-103 victory Wednesday night at United Center. “The growth part of Joakim’s game was great.

“He started off as a defensive player, an energy guy, a guy who ran the floor well. And actually, when Derrick [Rose] got hurt, we ran the offense through him. He was an excellent passer, decision maker, very good with dribble handoffs and I think that’s a part of Mitch’s game that can grow. And so we’ll challenge him in that way.”

The NBA and the players’ union reportedly are close to announcing plans to hold an All-Star Game and skills competition on the same day, March 7, and Julius Randle is excited about possible inclusion for the first time in his career.

The 2021 All-Star Game was scheduled to take place in Indianapolis, but that city will now host the 2024 event because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The present talks are expected to shift the festivities to Atlanta, with funds raised for COVID-19 relief and for historically black colleges and universities, according to ESPN.

“It’ll be amazing,” said Randle, who scored 27 points. “From everything I’ve known about it, it’s to bring a lot of help to a lot of people out there who need it and to the HBCUs from what I heard. … It would be amazing to be a part of it, for sure.”