NBA

J.R. shares similarities to former Knicks star Starks

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John Starks was thrilled when the Knicks signed J.R. Smith before last season. He figured the enigmatic shooting guard could help his former team.

Soon, elation turned to constant flashbacks, as Smith would begin games bricking jumpers and finish them with game-winning swishes — just like Starks used to do.

“It brought back memories,” the former Knicks great, who now works for the team in alumni relations, told The Post by phone. “You smile at it. I noticed [the similarities] last year, because he’s fearless.”

The two guards — combustible, passionate, explosive, dynamic, fan favorites and full of self-confidence — are eerily similar, not only in their style, but also to the success of their respective teams.

Starks was a key figure to the success of the Patrick Ewing Knicks teams of the 1990s, and Smith has emerged as Carmelo Anthony’s trusty sidekick for a Knicks team that earned its first Atlantic Division title in 19 years — a team some believe can challenge the defending champion Heat in the Eastern Conference playoffs.

“That brings back memories to 1994,” Starks said.

Their career stats are almost interchangeable: Starks 12.5 points per game, Smith 13.2; Starks 34 percent from 3-point range, Smith 36.

Smith and Starks share more than just explosiveness with the ball, they also both have a combustible personality.

Starks once head-butted Pacers star Reggie Miller in the 1994 playoffs and was a symbol of the physical, take-no-prisoners ’90s Knicks.

Smith has a penchant to let his emotions get the best of him as well — and, of course, one of the most memorable instances came against the Pacers. Smith and Indiana’s Lance Stephenson had to be separated at midcourt as their Feb. 20 game went into halftime.

They also racked up technicals at a remarkably similar pace — Smith with 44 in 616 games (one every 14 games) to Starks’ 65 in 866 (one every 13.3 games).

Smith also was involved in a brawl at the Garden while a member of the Nuggets and has had off-the-court issues such as reckless driving and questionable tweets.

“J.R. Smith makes John Starks look sane,” former Knicks coach and ESPN announcer Jeff Van Gundy said. “They both are highly combustible, but Starks off the court was a choir boy.”

Their back stories and skill sets are different. Smith was a first-round pick directly out of high school at St. Benedict’s Prep in Newark, Starks was an undrafted free agent out of Oklahoma State who bagged groceries to support himself.

At 6-foot-6, the 27-year-old Smith is an inch taller than Starks, 47, and the superior athlete, the former Knick said. Starks, Van Gundy said, was a better on-ball defender, passer and pick-and-roll player, though Smith has superior range and is a better rebounder.

“The one thing everybody would respect, both teammates and coaching staff, is they come to play every night,” Van Gundy said. “They bring it. Sometimes it may have been misdirected, from a shot selection standpoint, but the passion, intensity, the competitive nature, it’s always there. As a coach, when you can count on that, it’s awesome.”

Just like Starks, Smith has surpassed expectations in New York. Signed to token one-year deals before each of the last two seasons, he nearly was selected to the All-Star Game this year.

“When you take the production versus his contract,” Van Gundy said, “he is one of the great contracts in the NBA and Knicks history.”

Starks said he likes the comparisons.

“I take that as a great compliment,” Starks said. “I’m glad people see a lot of me in J.R.”

Smith is familiar with Starks’ career, though he wasn’t a Knicks fan growing up in New Jersey. When the Knicks and Bulls faced one another, he would be rooting for Michael Jordan. He vividly recalls “The Dunk,” when Starks soared over Jordan and Scottie Pippen for a slam in the 1993 Eastern Conference finals.

“I remember watching that game,” Smith said. “My pops was standing over the top of me talking junk.”

Starks has developed a relationship with Smith. He will approach Smith about problems he had in his day and just reminds him to be aggressive and remain confident, never a problem in his prime.

“They miss three straight, they think they’re going to make the next three,” said Knicks assistant Herb Williams, who played with Starks for four seasons.

Starks was best known for his playoff battles with Jordan and Miller, and unfortunately the team’s near misses in the postseason. Smith playoff legacy will begin soon. Who knows, maybe he will treat the Garden to “The Dunk 2,” over LeBron James and Dwyane Wade.

“Anything can happen when’s he’s out there on the court,” Starks said. “He senses, like the rest of the Knicks, they have the opportunity to do some beautiful things to get to a championships and win it all.”

Additional reporting by Brian Lewis and Marc Berman.

zbraziller@nypost.com