Player development and progression is in the eye of the beholder.

Looking through David Fizdale’s trademark thick black glasses, the Knicks first-year coach says it is happening.

As the Knicks descended to 14-60 Sunday against the Clippers, on pace to set the worst record in franchise history, Fizdale is throwing the kitchen sink at the notion the Knicks are getting better. With eight games to play and three days off to dissect, it’s debatable.

After Saturday’s practice, Fizdale was effervescent, extolling the workout. The day before, Fizdale had talked about a terrific shoot-around leading into Friday’s Denver blowout.

“Crazy as it sounds, we just had one of our best practices of the year,’’ Fizdale said Saturday. “I don’t know how that translates but what it tells me is we still got a group of guys that’s really committed to what we’re doing.’’

Then the Knicks took the court Sunday at noon and fell behind 8-0 before the three-minute mark. Fizdale called timeout, gathered the group away from the bench and unloaded on his players.

Fizdale is on a one-year honeymoon period, as he’s admitted repeatedly since November, so don’t judge him on the won-loss record. He’s experimenting.

By deftly shifting team goals, Fizdale has escaped the wrath of being 46 games under .500. Fans are fixated on an offseason that purportedly looks golden with a top-five lottery pick and salary slots for two maximum contracts.

Indeed, the charming Fizdale will look and sound good if he’s on the lottery dais May 14 in Chicago as expected. And he’ll deliver a stirring recruiting spiel in July during free-agent meetings with Kevin Durant. Fizdale can sell a snowmobile in the Sahara.

But Fizdale has not proven to be a solid game coach or as mystical a roundball whisperer as advertised. Not yet anyway. Emmanuel Mudiay, Allonzo Trier and Mitchell Robinson — defensively, anyway — are his successes. Frank Ntilikina, Mario Hezonja, Kevin Knox, Dennis Smith Jr. — all top-10 picks — have seen either zero to marginal growth.

The worst part of his first season is Fizdale failing to ingrain a winning mentality or a disciplined defensive team that defends the 3-point line.

And seems to be getting worse. In their past five games, the Knicks have allowed 123, 128, 137, 111 and 124 points.

Fizdale connects well with the young players but is there enough accountability? Have they accepted losing, judging by too much locker-room joviality after some defeats? All fair questions.

Still, Fizdale insisted Sunday growth exists on both ends, even if he only specified the offense. The Knicks committed several defensive blunders in the final three minutes after being tied Sunday with the Clippers with three minutes to go.

“Things are starting to slow down for them,’’ Fizdale said. “We’re starting to get to a point where we’re consistently moving the ball. We have a mark of 300 passes for games. We’re starting to hit that mark more often. We have seen slippage in some areas — turning the ball over, transition defense. But I’ve been really happy with the overall growth of guys.’’

Whether Fizdale really believes his own rhetoric is not the point. After firing Jeff Hornacek hours after last season’s finale, president Steve Mills said he broke down Hornacek’s season in 20-game quadrants and saw slippage.

Fizdale must know now he accepted the most challenging job in the NBA, taking the position 10 months ago with budding superstar Kristaps Porzingis “waiting in the wings.’’

Instead, Porzingis flew the coop, putting Fizdale in a talent bind. The Latvian made more disturbing comments this weekend, reiterating he had no intentions of playing this season. He specified the decision was made unilaterally in the offseason with his brother, Janis, and his physiotherapist with no Knicks input. (Yes, Fizdale/team brass wanted Porzingis to play when he was medically cleared.)

Since the trade and the Enes Kanter/Wesley Matthews buyouts, the Knicks have fielded “a glorified G-League team’’ — Fizdale’s words.

“I put my ego to the side a long time ago,’’ Fizdale said. “The good part [is] I got a group of guys who really come to work. I can’t get caught up in my own misery about winning and losing. I have to be focused on: ‘Can I keep getting them step by step a little bit better?’ I felt guys have made those strides.”

Now four of the Knicks’ top prospects are hurt. Ntilikina (groin) and Smith (back) could be shut down. Trier is out indefinitely with a calf strain. Knox has another ankle sprain Fizdale believes isn’t as serious as the first one.

Then again, Fizdale believed Porzingis was “engaged’’ just 10 days before management shipped him to Dallas because he refused to buy into the new culture.

In his first season, Fizdale has been more wrong than right but maybe deserves the benefit of the doubt.

Next year will be a much truer test of his coaching ability when there is hope the roster is significantly upgraded. The Porzingis black cloud will lift and winning will be mandatory.