Pair of unheralded guards may be key

You hear “impactful new Knick guard,” and if you are among 99.9 percent of the populace, you think “Derrick Rose.”

But you would not be wrong if you thought of either a guy who finally got his 2009 draft night wish or another guy now with his seventh team in nine seasons.

Reserve point guard Brandon Jennings and likely starting two guard Courtney Lee were imported in the Knicks’ summer makeover. Jennings, hoping for his first full season in three years after a ruptured Achilles, is a potential high-volume scoring point guard (15.5 points per game in seven seasons). Lee is all-purpose, plays well at both ends and can adapt to any style.

For Jennings, New York is where he wanted to be in the first place. The Knicks, set on Stephen Curry, lost there and took Jordan Hill No. 8, two slots before Milwaukee grabbed Jennings seven years ago.

“I guess timing is everything, huh?” Jennings said Monday at Knicks media day in White Plains. “Everybody knows I wanted to go to the Knicks during that draft, but I had to get over that real fast. So now I’m here. I’m happy.” And ready to help. “I feel like it’s the beginning again for me,” said Jennings, who noted a weight gain after he ruptured his left Achilles in 2015. “I got my body fat down. … This summer, I was able to just play basketball, [and] I feel I just got better. My confidence got up. … I’m back 100 percent.

“Whatever the team needs,” said Jennings who signed a one-year, $5 million deal. “That’s why I’m here. It doesn’t matter about starting or anything like that.”

Lee has been with the Magic (playing in the Finals as a rookie), Nets, Rockets, Celtics, Grizzlies and Hornets. Either he just can’t hold a job or a lot of teams like him. Figure the latter. The Knicks gave him four years, $48 million.

“Being in the NBA nine years, that’s a blessing,” Lee said. “A lot of guys that come in are All-Star-caliber players, and some of them are already out of the league. Being able to have longevity proves my value.”

Lee said he set one goal for the season: “Making the playoffs.”