SYRACUSE — Remember what Patrick Ewing’s arrival did for the then-moribund Knicks? Rick Pitino — who once coached Ewing and the Knicks and knows a thing or two about building winning college and NBA programs — said he believes if Phil Jackson strikes gold in the NBA Draft with one of two players, it could be a Ewing era all over again.

Put Duke low-post force Jahlil Okafor or Kentucky’s 7-foot road runner, Karl Anthony-Towns, in a Knicks uniform, and Pitino says let the good times start to roll.

“If they get the No. 1, No. 2 pick, there’s two guys out there right now that could be All-Stars, Okafor and Karl Towns,’’ Pitino told The Post on Saturday before putting Louisville through practice at the Carrier Dome in preparation for Sunday’s East Region final against Michigan State. “So if they get one of those two, or [guard Emmanuel] Mudiay could be a great one as well, and then you’re under the cap. Now you got three or four guys. That’s the only way to do it.’’

Pitino was an assistant for Hubie Brown with the Knicks from 1983 to 1985 and left to become the head coach at Providence when the Knicks made Ewing the first pick in the 1985 NBA Draft. Pitino got to bask in Ewing’s greatness in 1987 when the Knicks brought him back as their head coach.

Even in the pre-Ewing years, the Knicks never sank as low as they have this season, with Jackson’s roster of NBA vagabonds and D-Leaguers compiling the worst record in the league. It’s the way it had to be, said Pitino, who sees all those ping-pong balls the Knicks are amassing for the upcoming draft lottery as the beginning of basketball salvation.

“I think it has to hit rock bottom,’’ Pitino said. “When we got Patrick, we took off. When San Antonio got [Tim] Duncan, it was over. The Knicks need to fall on hard times in order to pick ’em up. What happened was they took themselves over the salary cap, they couldn’t make any moves, couldn’t get any draft choices. Now they’re gonna be under the cap and get draft choices, so they’re doing it the smart way. Unfortunately they’ve got to go through some pain to have the gains.

“This is a necessary evil they have to go through in order to see it happen. If you get three players, they can turn around your program. I think they’ve been trying to put Band-Aids on hemorrhages all the time. That just doesn’t work.’’