John Wall thinks John Calipari can coach in the NBA

CHICAGO — The last postseason John Wall played in, he was donning a Kentucky uniform back in the 2010 NCAA tournament.

So his jitters entering Sunday's 102-93 victory against the Chicago Bulls made sense.

"It was very intense," Wall said. "I've watched, but it's a lot different when you're on the court."

Wall said the one thing he took from his time under Kentucky coach John Calipari was maturity. That served him well Sunday, when he finished with 16 points and six assists in his NBA playoffs debut.

Wall credited Calipari for getting another batch of freshmen to come together this past season, when No. 8 seed Kentucky reached the national championship game, losing to Connecticut. He said that even after picking the Wildcats to lose in the round of 32 before the tournament.

So should Calipari return to the NBA head coaching ranks?

"I think he'd be a great NBA coach," Wall told USA TODAY Sports. "But he loves Kentucky too much. The Big Blue Nation loves him back. ... It's kind of different (in the NBA) though. The NBA guys are going to do what they do they're playing for checks and stuff like that. He's great at getting young guys to buy in."

Calipari, who previously coached the New Jersey Nets in the 1990s with a 72-112 record, had his name in the news as a potential future coach of the Los Angeles Lakers prior to the NCAA championship game. But that talk quieted when Calipari and the Lakers shot down the suggestion.

Scott Gleeson, a national basketball writer/digital producer for USA TODAY Sports, is on Twitter @ScottMGleeson.