SAN ANTONIO — When Jalen Brunson went down in Los Angeles a little over a week ago, with his ankle turned in the opposite direction, all eyes shifted toward Mikal Bridges as the man who needed to step up in his absence.

With Jalen Brunson sidelined, Mikal Bridges has started to look more like the guy the Knicks hoped they would be getting when they traded a bundle of draft picks to the Nets.

Jalen Brunson is out at least another week, but Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau said he is making “good, steady progress.”