NBA

Trade throw-in Walker soaring with Knicks

Bill Walker prepares himself and gets inspired before each game via the Web. His gameday routine is to watch a mix of Paul Pierce, his former Celtics teammate and the man he patterns his game after, on YouTube.

“Get in my mental mode, . . . going out and trying to be somebody today,” Walker said.

Walker was someone last night again, and it might be a sleeper role player for the Knicks the rest of this season and possibly going forward. The 22-year-old swingman soared for a game-high 22 points in the Knicks’ 128-104 win over the Pistons at the Garden, nailing nine of 13 shots, including six dunks.

It was the high-flying Walker’s first career start and his second straight strong game. In Cleveland on Monday, he went for 21 points on 9-of-14 from the field.

“I don’t want to go too far. We haven’t seen that much of him,” coach Mike D’Antoni said. “But I’m pretty excited about what I’ve seen.”

Walker, who was a throw-in to the Nate Robinson-Eddie House trade with the Celtics, will be a free agent after this season, but he could be a fit for the Knicks as a cheap bench player. Can Walker be a contributing player on a good team — which the Knicks hope to be next season?

He barely played with Boston, and so far the main attribute he has flashed are athleticism and an ability to finish. But Walker insists he learned a ton while he was sitting on the bench in Boston these last two seasons.

“I always thought I could play on this type of level. It just took a while for me to get the opportunity,” said Walker, a second-round pick out of Kansas State last year who also played for Maine in the D-League this season. “And I’m thankful I went through what I went through in Boston, learning to play the right way. Learning the little things about being a good teammate and playing for other guys.

“I feel like I get better every day. Every day I work out, I feel like I learn something new about my game. I just really feel like I’m scratching the surface.”

Walker’s highlights last night included two alley-oop jams (one a reverse), a thunderous one-handed dunk on the baseline that was part of a three-point play and a two-handed windmill slam with 53 seconds remaining in the game.

“He’s provided a spark for us,” Tracy McGrady said. “He can help some teams.”