Five questions for the Knicks at the All-Star break

The Knicks reached the All-Star break — albeit five minutes later than planned after it took a frantic overtime finish against Atlanta Wednesday to get to the break — with a 36-18 record, the best winning percentage at the break since the 1996-97 season when it took a fight in Miami to derail their title hopes.

So there should be few complaints or questions for the Knicks as Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns head to San Francisco for the All-Star Game and the rest of the team is bound for well-earned vacations. As long as the Knicks don’t get in a fight in the final minutes of a playoff game and have much of the team step off the bench, it should be all good.

It’s not that easy though. As the more recent incarnations of the Knicks could attest to, things can go wrong and end your hopes and dreams in the Eastern Conference semifinals. So here are five questions the Knicks need to prove they have the right answers to if they hope to take this win-now team to the first title for the franchise since 1973.

1. What did Anunoby’s injury prove?

While the critics of Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau point to the minutes piled on the starting five, the odd contrast to the criticism has been that the Knicks starters had been on the floor together nearly every game while most teams saw key pieces sidelined for long stretches with injuries.

So when OG Anunoby went to the floor against the Lakers two weeks ago with what the team called a sprained right foot it was understandable that the doubters would rise up. Anunoby missed six straight games heading to the break and maybe he’ll be back in the starting lineup when the break is over with three weeks of rest and rehab time for him — perhaps a good thing as the Knicks head toward the finish line of the season.

But his absence did point out the tenuous nature of the Knicks’ title hopes — relying on the five starters to be on the court. The Knicks’ starting five has played 806 minutes on the floor together, far outpacing the next five-man unit (Minnesota group with 528 minutes). It’s good for developing cohesiveness in their first season together but also shows how reliant the Knicks are on that group.

2. How can the bench help?

Now that we’ve talked about how important the starting five is we get to the reason it is. The Knicks’ deep roster shifted when they made the moves for Towns and Mikal Bridges and now that’s meant making do with a second unit that has few fans doing the familiar cries of “Thibs needs to play (fill in the blank) more.”

Injuries have caused some of the depth issues, but the Knicks have also tried to rely on a group that has proven little. Deuce McBride is a reliable and versatile player, still a defensive demon and growing by leaps and bounds offensively throughout his career. Cam Payne has already contributed more than he might have been expected to when he signed on this summer. The belief was he was a break glass in case of emergency roster piece to provide a veteran playmaker if something happened to Brunson — but he has become a valuable piece in New York with his boundless energy and his shooting that nearly matches his confidence in his shot. But the Knicks are missing defensive size and a rim protector so far.

3. What’s realistic for Robinson?

It’s hard to imagine that the Knicks can count on Mitchell Robinson after he has missed the entire season to this point following his second surgery in the last 14 months on his left ankle. The Knicks need a rim-protecting center and, when healthy, Robinson is elite at that, a player who can provide defense and rebounding either off the bench or working next to Towns. But can the Knicks rely on his creaky ankle even after giving him such a long runway for a return to action?

4. When will defense get better?

The Knicks rank 20th in the NBA in defensive rating according to basketball-reference.com — and although the game is changing the 115 rating is on pace not just to the be the worst of Thibodeau’s tenure in New York, but the worst in franchise history. That just doesn’t feel right for a Thibodeau team when he’s preaching defense, rebounding and low turnovers to his team on a nightly basis.

Could health make a difference with Anunoby back, Robinson in the rotation and a healthy McBride? Sure, since Anunoby went out the Knicks are ranked 28th in the league in defensive rating, ahead of only Chicago and New Orleans. But for a team that was supposed to be built on defense around the pairing of Bridges and Anunoby, stoppers who could supposedly handle the best wings in the league, it hasn’t happened yet.

5. Can they beat the best?

The Knicks head into the break with the impressive record, but an 0-5 mark against the three teams with better records than them this season — Oklahoma City, Cleveland and Boston. Three of those losses have been disheartening blowouts.

So is that real?

“We haven’t really accomplished anything,” Brunson said after Wednesday’s victory. “We have a long way to go to get to where we want to go. It’s all about about just taking one day at a time. Right now it’s just to rest and recharge and come back ready to go.”