It likely still will take some time for Reggie Bullock to make his debut with the Knicks, but even the milestone he cleared Wednesday seemed so far away five months ago.
Bullock, the veteran swingman who underwent spinal fusion surgery shortly after signing as a free agent in July, joined his new teammates on the court in practice for the first time. He eventually is expected to provide another outside shooting threat for the Knicks, who have won three of six games since interim coach Mike Miller took over for fired David Fizdale earlier this month.
The Post reported before training camp that January was a target for Bullock’s season debut.
“It looked like a long journey,” Bullock said after practice in Tarrytown. “Back way in July, even when it happened, I was just thinking about, December is so far along, so far away.
“To see that I’ve made up so much time over the time and worked hard to be able to get back out here, to be able to play with my guys playing with the Knicks. It was a long journey but I’m right here almost at the finish line so just continue to keep pushing.”
The seven-year NBA veteran has dealt with more than his just physical rehabilitation during his downtime. Bullock’s sister Keiosha Moore was shot and murdered in Baltimore in November. Another sister, Mia Henderson, also was killed in his hometown in 2014.
“I’m sorry, but I’m really here to talk about basketball right now. That’s my main focus,” Bullock said. “I’m excited to be back out here with my guys. That’s a family issue that we dealt with. And I’m just excited to be back with the Knicks.”
Asked how he stayed positive through trying times on and off the court, the 2013 first-round pick added: “I had no choice. This is my life. Basketball is my life. And I knew that this was a tough injury to deal with and it was a long time that I would be down. I just kept focusing. I just knew I had to just keep pushing for myself and I knew that I’d be able to overcome it and make a strong comeback and I’ll be ready for it.”
The Knicks posted a season-high 143 points in Tuesday’s win over the Hawks and would be boosted by the 6-foot-6 Bullock, who is a career 39.2 percent shooter from 3-point range, including 37.7 percent in 63 games last season with the Pistons and the Lakers. The Knicks are shooting 34.8 percent from long range through their 7-21 start entering Friday’s visit to Miami.
“Just a veteran that’s been in the league for a little bit. Played in different situations with different teams,” Bullock said when asked what he expects to bring to the Knicks’ rotation. “Be a spacer, be a defender, be a veteran on the team and just bring my leadership.
“Just try to do a lot of the little things that I’ve been seeing from the sideline that the team could possibly use with some of the skill sets that I have. So I’m excited to be out there with them.”
The former North Carolina star initially signed a two-year contract worth $21 million with the Knicks in July, but the deal was reworked to a one-year arrangement for $4 million after Bullock failed his physical and it was determined he required surgery with a likely five-month recovery period.
“I think I’m right there, kind of pinpointing it,” Bullock said. “We pinpointed it pretty well and like I said I just knew what time I’d be off and knew how much rehab and everything I’d need to be able to make a great comeback. I worked my way back to that, so I’m just ready to be out there.
“I’m very excited, I’m excited to put on a Knicks jersey. It was my reason to come here to New York, to be able to help the franchise, play for the city. … I was down for a bit. But now I worked my way back and I’m just ready to be out there with my guys.”