In his first Knicks season, Tom Thibodeau was hailed as a coaching genius, able to squeeze every ounce out of a limited roster to secure a stunning fourth-place finish in the Eastern Conference. His next year, the bloom fell off the rose as the Knicks stumbled to a 37-win campaign amid injuries and underperformance, detractors within the fan base growing.

It would be reasonable for his third season to fall somewhere in between, particularly after team president Leon Rose made roster upgrades. That feels like the bar for the Knicks. Reaching the play-in round would be an important step forward for the franchise after last season, and it is a realistic goal considering the depth in the Eastern Conference. Anything less, and changes could loom, possibly for Thibodeau.

Rose found a point guard in Jalen Brunson, the son of his first client (new Knicks assistant coach Rick Brunson) from his days as an agent, and beefed up Thibodeau’s bench by landing shot-making, court-spacing big man Isaiah Hartenstein. Brunson, who inked a four-year, $104 million deal to leave the Mavericks, had a strong preseason, averaging 17.7 points, 4.2 assists and shooting 49 percent from the field. In a survey of general managers conducted by the NBA, Brunson was ranked third in terms of an offseason acquisition who would make the biggest impact.

“It’s clear as day the impact he’s had on the team,” Thibodeau said.