Johnnie Bryant, Josh Hart give Knicks insight into Cavs' Donovan Mitchell

GREENBURGH, N.Y. — The Knicks have seen the Cleveland Cavaliers four times this season and for more than a week now coaches and video coordinators have been compiling exhaustive film clips to try to familiarize the team with every move, every fake, every shot that Donovan Mitchell has taken in hopes of finding a way to slow the Cavs star.

And then there is the one unspoken scouting service the Knicks possess — associate head coach Johnnie Bryant.

While the Knicks have a staff filled with coaches skilled in player development and most of them are bleary-eyed by now from falling asleep to the lights of scouting tapes — if they sleep at all — they don’t have the personal connection that Bryant does. Bryant came to the Knicks from the Utah Jazz, where he worked his way up the organizational chart as a developmental coach. And it was there that he grew close to Mitchell, so close that some speculated that the Knicks added him to their staff as a way in with Mitchell. And while that connection, nor his hometown roots or even his relationship with Knicks president Leon Rose, was enough to complete the wished-upon trade for Mitchell last summer, the relationship with Bryant remains.

Earlier this season, Bryant told The Athletic, “I consider him a little brother. We’ve really developed a close relationship with each other, and it helps that I can be honest with him. It’s easy to work with someone when you can be honest with him.”

So with those countless hours spent in the summer working together and then the years building a relationship, it’s natural to believe that Bryant might know how to locate a weakness better than the film sessions.

“I ain’t going to speak on that,” Immanuel Quickley said with a smile. When asked if it definitely helps, he admitted, “Yeah, definitely.”

Quickley has worked out with Bryant and Mitchell in Florida in the summer, growing close with the Knicks assistant.

“I don’t know if there’s anybody in the league better than him as far as really a lot of stuff,” Quickley said. “I feel like I’m a high IQ player, but I learn something every day that I’m with him, that we watch film, when I have a question. He’s one of the smartest coaches I’ve ever been around.”

It’s not just Bryant though who has connections with Mitchell. Josh Hart, who might be second in line behind Quentin Grimes for the defensive assignment, has known Mitchell since his college days at Villanova since his teammate there, Eric Paschall, grew up with Mitchell. Now, Hart and Mitchell text regularly, play video games online together and even share a barber.

“Definitely looking forward to it,” Hart said. “I was on FaceTime with him earlier, We have the same barber, have to make sure the barber was there so I can get a fresh cut. It’s exciting because that’s someone I’ve known for the last seven years. Someone who I’ve watched grow in the league. Someone who has a great personality, a high-character kid. So it’ll be fun. We play video games together. We talk trash. Those kind of things. Hang out. Definitely excited to be in the playoffs. Definitely excited to play against them. Make sure we’re ready, and make sure we’re ready for the Cavs. Not just Donovan Mitchell.”

Hart did admit that other than trying to get lined up behind Mitchell for a haircut the relationship is limited with the teams facing each other in the playoffs.

“[With a] pregnant wife, it’s tough to play video games,” Hart said. “So she’s taking all my spare time. But definitely we’ll get together. We text, we FaceTime. We do those kind of things. But we’ll see.

“Not too much [trash talk] yet. I’m sure there will be. Don has a thing. He doesn’t get dinner with any opposing players who are in his city. So I’m going to do the same. I’m not going to have dinner with him. But there will probably be some friendly banter.”

Notes & quotes: Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau said that Julius Randle practiced again with no contact. “No, but again continued progress,” he said. “Doing well overall . . . He’s been cleared for parts of practice, but he hasn’t been fully cleared yet. But he’s making good progress.” Asked if he was optimistic Randle would be ready for Game 1 Saturday in Cleveland, Thibodeau said, “It’s hard to say. You just take it day by day. The thing I like is that each day he’s been better. So if he’s ready, he’s ready. If he needs more time, we’ll give him more time.”

By Steve Popper

steve.popper@newsday.com@StevePopper

Steve Popper covers the Knicks for Newsday. He has spent nearly three decades covering the Knicks and the NBA, along with just about every sports team in the New York metropolitan area.