CLEVELAND — In this season of supposed development, Knicks coach Jeff Hornacek has admitted to the tough task of figuring out a rotation with a roster made up of comparable players.

Hornacek played 12 guys in the first quarter alone in the season opener against the Thunder. But in the Knicks’ 114-95 win over the Cavaliers at The Q — when Q stood for Quiet — Hornacek stuck to a strict nine-man rotation. He didn’t even sub out for the final couple of minutes of garbage time.

“They’re a great team,’’ Hornacek said. “We didn’t want to take any chances.”

Indeed, Hornacek is making tough decisions. The favorite nine — as it stands — does not include Michael Beasley, a DNP for the first time this season. Beasley figured that without Carmelo Anthony, this was finally his time to shine.

Young building block Willy Hernangomez, who tasted his first rotation minutes in the Brooklyn win, was fastened to the pine and left the locker room looking miffed. He’s already been on edge about his situation.

Ramon Sessions, the Knicks’ starting point guard for the first three games, all losses, is now on the outs, getting his second straight DNP, and hasn’t cracked a smile in the locker room in days.

Also on the outside is combo guard Ron Baker. Hornacek’s golden child was inactive for the second straight game, with the Knicks coach claiming his ankle from training camp still is affecting him. An alibi?

Meanwhile, point guard Jarrett Jack, who turned 34 Saturday, is now the man and has cleaned up the offense as the starting quarterback in the past two games — both victories. Though Jack didn’t shoot well (1-of-8), he notched nine assists and calmed the storm when the Cavaliers rallied to within six points midway through the fourth. Jack’s presence has helped the Knicks reduce turnovers (21 in two games).

Rookie Frank Ntilikina, who had five points, three rebounds, three assists and two steals in 16 minutes against Cleveland, is a given.

Kyle O’Quinn is definitely in as Enes Kanter’s center backup — a defensive force in Cleveland. O’Quinn was scoreless in 12 minutes, but the Knicks were a plus-13 with him on the floor. Kanter continues as a monster on the offensive glass with five rebounds on that end.

Lance Thomas got burn in Cleveland — 16 minutes. Hornacek knows he’s being judged by his superiors on the team’s defensive posture, which is Thomas’ bread and butter. Doug McDermott got 13 minutes and made his lone 3-point shot, but obviously Hornacek sees an improving defender.

Then there is second-year man Mindaugas Kuzminskas, the Lithuanian forward who became a fan favorite last season and hasn’t touched the hardwood this season. He was riddled with a calf strain in preseason and fell off Hornacek’s radar.

Kuzminskas — clearly a Phil Jackson/Clarence Gaines signing — has been inactive all five games. Kuzminskas is in a rough spot — young but not young enough in the Steve Mills/Scott Perry vision. Kuzminskas, who starred in the European championships, just turned 28. He still has another year at $3.7 million left on his pact.

There was a melancholy tweet issued by “Kuuuz’’ Sunday night, underscoring his stature.

Mills has to make a cut to the roster in mid-November before the Cavaliers’ Garden rematch. That is when suspended Joakim Noah is available. Mills said he prefers to keep Jack and Sessions around to mentor Ntilikina. Mills said there are other things the team can do. A bunch of candidates are now emerging.

Through five games, 6-5 swingman Courtney Lee is having a very solid second season in New York and developing a chemistry with Tim Hardaway Jr. Lee now plays small forward and lived up to his frontcourt status with 10 rebounds, collecting the first double-double in his 10th season in the league.

After signing that fat $50 million contract in summer 2016, Lee played competently last season but seemed tentative.

“I flew under the radar last year,’’ said Lee, who still led the team in 2016-17 in 3-point shooting percentage at 40.1 percent and averaged 10 points per game.

Now he’s unleashed and is giving more credence to the smallball, positionless basketball.

“That’s what the NBA is now,’’ Lee said.

MSG Network prides itself in telling it like it is, despite being run by team owner James Dolan. But postgame analyst Wally Szczerbiak blurted what he really thought about Phil Jackson’s triangle that became the Knicks landscape the prior three years.

After the giddy Cleveland win, Szczerbiak said on air, “How about when the Knicks [are] running an NBA offense and not stuck running the triangle.’’

Szczerbiak went on to praise Hornacek’s simplified offense, clearly another dig at Jackson’s system that players regarded as calculus. Szczerbiak’s Sunday remark about the triangle would not have flown if made during the Jackson administration.

Noting the 27 assists the Knicks mustered, Hornacek said of the attack, “Move the ball, push it and hit the open guy, you get a couple of good looks.”