Knicks’ center problem exposed during five-game road trip

The locker room was more like an emergency room.

Jalen Brunson had a swollen eye.

“Somehow it happened in the third quarter,” he said. “I just remember my eye getting puffy.”

Julius Randle had four stitches in his lip and a tender ankle.

“Sore and pissed,” he said.

Isaiah Hartenstein had a nasty scratch on his arm, with blood stains on his shorts.

“It doesn’t help that we have white uniforms,” he said.

These were the battle scars from Monday’s 114-109 victory over the Lakers, the end of a four-game Western Conference road trip.

The Knicks went a very respectable 2-2 against greater starpower, riding a roller coaster that left The Post with the following five takeaways:

1. Randle has truly transformed his game

We’re confident enough in the sample size now to declare it a legitimate change. Randle went from settling for 3-pointers last season to relentlessly attacking the rim, focusing on efficiency and utilizing his greatest strength (which is his literal strength).

During the four-game trip, Randle averaged 26 points while making only four 3-pointers and averaging four attempts.

For the season, his 5.2 3-point attempts per game would be his fewest since 2019-20.

Meanwhile, his frequency of shots attempted within 10 feet (50.4 percent) is well above last season’s 33.8 percent.

We like this version of bully-ball Randle.

2. The Knicks have a center problem

Isaiah Hartenstein saved the team with a Herculean rebounding effort Monday, but now starter Jericho Sims is injured (he was wearing a walking boot after spraining his ankle on the opening tipoff) and the only other natural 5 is Taj Gibson.

We love Gibson — and so does Tom Thibodeau! — but he was out of the league before last week.

Even Gibson was shocked about playing meaningful time on Monday.

Relying on Hartenstein for 40 minutes and Gibson for the other eight is bound to come up with problems, starting with potential foul trouble.

At some point, Thibodeau will have to concede some rim protection and use Randle as a center.

Or else the front office needs to get off the couch.

3. Quentin Grimes will lose minutes

He pushed for a move to the bench and it helped unlock Grimes’ offense a little bit, but the minutes are going down — not up — and Monday night was his fewest of the season. Immanuel Quickley is too skilled to be held down, and Donte DiVincenzo, now the starter, will automatically play most of the first and third quarters.

Also, tellingly, Thibodeau called Josh Hart the team’s “best perimeter defender” on Monday.

That was a spot previously up for debate or held by Grimes.

4. Suns games are the worst

Steve Kerr is right about the Phoenix arena. It’s like a club.

The noise is constant and assaults all the senses, thumping techno or something else unrelated to basketball.

They do everything possible to distract you from watching a game.

5. Clippers are legit

I feel good about my preseason pick of the Clippers in the NBA Finals (don’t ask me about my other predictions).

James Harden, Kawhi Leonard and Paul George are all potential free agents after the season, and they’re all committed to playing for their last big contracts.

They obliterated the Knicks, 144-121, then two days later dropped 151 points on the Pacers.

Maybe most surprisingly, Leonard looks like he’s having fun.