NBA players meditate on bench before — and sometimes during — games

“When you’re present, that’s when you play your best,” he said.

That focus, Hartenstein said, has helped him transform from a role player into a starter for a 50-win Knicks team that earned the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs — and it will probably earn him a significant raise on the free agent market this summer. He averaged 7.8 points and 8.3 rebounds during the regular season and anchored the NBA’s ninth-ranked defense.

Hartenstein is part of a growing number of NBA players who embrace meditation,…