Connection is alive for Thibodeau and Gibson

Wherever Tom Thibodeau is, there seems to be a role for his favorite player.

Taj Gibson both started and came off the bench from 2010-15 during the Thibodeau years in Chicago. Gibson latched back on from 2017-19 with Thibodeau’s Minnesota teams before following his head coach to the Garden.

And before a season in which the 36-year-old’s playing time has been expected to dip, having played 16.5 minutes and 20.8 minutes per game the past two seasons, there already is another opening for Thibodeau’s crush.

If Mitchell Robinson’s surgically repaired foot remains an issue into the beginning of the campaign, the Knicks would ask Nerlens Noel to start, and the sturdy, 6-foot-9 Gibson likely would become backup center.

Last year, a small-ball Knicks lineup that lacked a true center — Immanuel Quickley, Derrick Rose, Alec Burks, Obi Toppin and Gibson — had the fourth-best defensive rating in all of the NBA among groups that played at least 100 minutes together. Asked about the smaller look’s defensive success, Thibodeau pointed immediately to Gibson.

“That’s the great value in having a guy like Taj. Taj has been an elite defender throughout his career,” Thibodeau said Thursday at Knicks training camp. “He stays ready, he stays in great shape, he’s locked into everything he’s doing.”

➤ Shooting guard RJ Barrett has acknowledged he wants to take the next step of his growth, which the team hopes involves an All-Star Game.

The step also would include picking up the opposing team’s best wing scorer after the loss of Reggie Bullock, who typically had the job last season.

“I think [Barrett] has a better understanding of the tendencies of the players. I think he understands schemes a lot better. He’s gotten stronger,” said Thibodeau, who was optimistic Barrett could take that leap.