Brandon Rush would be the first to tell you that he doesn’t enjoy public speaking, but there he was Monday afternoon.

He was standing at a podium in front of 275 students at Markham Elementary in Oakland, and with more than 500 eyes staring at him, Rush effectively breezed through a speech.

It’s easier to find comfort in uncomfortable situations when you feel at home, and Rush is finally back home.

“This is a great situation for me to be able to come back and to be with a winning team,” said Rush, who signed a two-year deal worth more than $2.4 million to return to the Warriors this offseason. “I’m just going to try to help the team out with little things: rebounding, shooting and playing defense. I’m in a good mood. My head is in on straight. I’m happy with where I’m at.”

The same couldn’t be said for much of the 2013-14 season, when Rush had be exiled to Utah. As he recovered from surgery on his left knee’s anterior cruciate and medial collateral ligaments, the 6-foot-6, 29-year-old was in and out of the Jazz lineup.

He played a career-low 11 minutes per game in 38 games. His free-throw, field-goal and three-point shooting percentages were the worst of his career. His points, rebounds, assists, steals and blocked shot averages were down.

“It was difficult – playing, not playing, playing a little bit,” Rush said. “I wasn’t mentally ready, and it took a toll.

“But I had a great summer, I worked out hard and I’m definitely ready.”

Warriors general manager Bob Myers represented one of 25-plus teams that watched Rush workout in July in Las Vegas. Myers needed only 10 minutes to determine that Rush had returned to being the player he saw with the Warriors in 2011-12.

Rush had the best season of his career in 2011-12 and seemed poised to add to his upward trend in 2012-13, but his knee exploded in an ugly dunk-attempt landing just two games into the season. The Warriors rallied around the injury, uniting around the “4 B-Rush” campaign to make the franchise’s first playoff berth since 2007.

“It was a great feeling knowing that the missed me, but it was tough to watch,” said Rush, who was stuck in New York rehabbing his knee for months before the swelling went down enough for surgery.

Nearly two years later, he proclaims himself 100 percent healthy. He doesn’t have to do rehab anymore, and he’s getting over the mental block of attacking the rim.

Familiar with the region already, it took Rush only a couple of days to find a place in Piedmont after arriving back in the Bay Area on Wednesday.

“Finally, things are going the right way,” Rush said. … “Coming back was a no-brainer.”