Immanuel Quickley NBA Draft pick bonds Knicks to John Calipari’s gospel

Kentucky coach John Calipari could not contain his glee that Knicks president Leon Rose and senior VP William Wesley, a couple of his buddies, drafted one of his Wildcats – 6-foot3 combo guard Immanuel Quickley.

Calipari posted a jubilant video that should excite Knicks fans after Rose tapped Quickley with the 25th pick in the 2020 NBA Draft on Wednesday night.

Quickley, in most mock drafts, was slated as a second-round pick as the lesser-half of a backcourt with Tyrese Maxey, who dropped to the 76ers at No. 21.

As a sophomore, Quickley, 21, wasn’t even a starter to begin the season, but wound up as SEC Player of The Year. He averaged 16.1 points and shot 42.8 percent from 3-point range. Calipari said he often played off the ball.

“A man didn’t start the first five games,” Calipari said on his Twitter feed. “I was trying to get a three-guard rotation. You know what? I was out of my mind. No, no, you’re a starter.”

And it worked, with Kentucky finishing the regular season at 15-3 in the conference before the pandemic canceled the SEC and NCAA tournaments.

“We win the league by three games and he’s a player of the year in our league,” Calipari said. “He’ll stretch the court. He’s culture, faith-driven. This kid is going to get so much better. He can play on the ball, off the ball. The Knicks got something. The Kniiiiiiiicks got something. I can’t wait to watch him play.”

Get used to Calipari’s guys heading to the Garden. Rose and Wesley, as agents, were deeply embedded in the Kentucky program and regard Calipari’s words as gospel. Wesley pushed to hire Kentucky assistant Kenny Payne for Tom Thibodeau’s staff.

The Knicks will have three former Wildcats on the roster (Julius Randle and Kevin Knox) and possibly a fourth if they sign small forward Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, who is on their radar.

Indeed, the Knicks have become the “Orange and Bluegrass.”

“It’s a good pick,” one NBA scout said. “He gets to the line a lot [making 92.3 percent of his free throws). He’s more scorer than shooter but can make 3s. He’s a little out of control at times. And it doesn’t hurt Kenny Payne is on the staff.”

The Knicks’ starting point-guard situation is still is up in the air. Free agency starts Friday night and Toronto’s Fred VanVleet is by far the best on the market, but the Knicks may have to dole out the max to get him, though they are one of the few teams with cap space.

The Knicks may prefer a Russell Westbrook trade despite the former MVP being 32 and having three years and $132.5 million left on his pact. Two other veteran point guards on their radar are DJ Augustin and Jeff Teague, both of whom have played for Thibodeau.

The only mystifying part of the successful night that netted Obi Toppin, the Player of the Year, in the lottery was the final of their three draft-swap trades.

The Knicks traded their just-obtained 33rd pick to the Clippers for a 2023 second-round draft pick. That is the year high-school players are eligible but usually the early second round is golden because it’s getting a first-round talent for minimum wage.

It shows how difficult teams view integrating the rookie class this year with no summer league or pre-camp scrimmages and perhaps no G-League season. Training camp begins Dec. 1.