The New York Knicks franchise and their fans collectively gasped when Kristaps Porzingis went down with a knee injury after that emphatic dunk against the Bucks.

When the MRI revealed Porzingis had a torn ACL and would be out for the season, the rest of the NBA world gasped along with them. It was just another example of the season-ending injuries that have plagued star players during this NBA season.

Porzingis recently had surgery and reportedly went well. Now comes the rehabilitation process, which can take anywhere between nine to 13 months, generally speaking.

But Knicks coach Jeff Hornacek is remaining optimistic about the situation, and conveyed that his star player will be “better than ever” when he does make his return to the basketball court in a Knicks uniform, per Ian Begley of ESPN.

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“He's got a great attitude about it,” Hornacek said of Porzingis. “He knows he's gonna get back. He knows he's gonna get better than ever. It's a little different work. He probably wishes it would've have happened that way. He'll be able to learn things from watching the game the rest of this year.”

Watch Hornacek's full remarks in the video below.

The work Porzingis will have to do to get back to form will be arduous. It will be frustrating. It will be the most difficult thing he has ever endured in his 22 years on this earth.

But if it all goes well, it will be worth it. The entire NBA world is pulling for the unicorn.