SACRAMENTO – It would obviously be silly and incorrect to suggest the Knicks could be better off without Jalen Brunson.

Clearly, they’re not. He’s the offensive engine, the point guard who has bailed out this coaching staff and franchise from the moment he accepted that free agent contract in 2022. He’s their ceiling riser.

But Josh Hart got chuckles in the locker room Monday night because the best jokes are tinged with truth. And this was his response to the question of why the defense has improved lately:

“JB’s not out there.”