Hornacek thinks adversity will be good for Porzingis

PHILADELPHIA — Jeff Hornacek thinks Kristaps Porzingis will look back at his catastrophic ACL tear and “be glad he went through it,” saying he has a “great attitude.”

Porzingis is expected to undergo surgery to repair the ACL tear in his left knee Tuesday — one week after suffering the injury. The Knicks may reveal a rough timetable after the operation. The prognosis for recent ACL tears usually ranges from seven to 12 months, so next season is in jeopardy, too.

Hornacek has been talking a lot to Porzingis in recent days.

“It seems like [it’s a long road ahead], but in the big scheme of things, the guy’s going to play 15, 18 years in this league,” Hornacek said Monday before the Knicks’ 108-92 loss to the Sixers. “He’s 22 years old. It’s a bit of a mountain he has to climb for a year. He’ll look back at this and probably be glad he went through it and got stronger. When you hit adversity and bounce back, it says a lot about your character.”

Porzingis could have undergone surgery after All-Star weekend and gone to Los Angeles to do some promotional events, but he decided to do it sooner than later during what Hornacek called “this antsy time.” The surgery will have Porzingis, a first-time All-Star selection, on crutches for weeks.

“It’s good that he’s getting it done now,” Hornacek said. “It’s unfortunate he’ll miss All-Star weekend. He wants to get on the court as soon as he can. ... There’s initial shock when something like that happens. Then he comes to grips with it — nothing you can do about it — and he’s accepted it. He has a great attitude about it. He knows he’s going to get back. He knows he’s going to be back better than ever. He wishes it didn’t happen that way, but he’ll able to learn things from watching the game the rest of this year. He’s a kid who wants to be one of the best. We know he’s going to work hard to get back.”

Asked his reaction to the spate of injuries to stars like Porzingis, Sixers coach Brett Brown said: “I feel it’s my greatest responsibility to help these guys stay healthy and bring them to the court ready to play like their hair’s on fire. That’s the Holy Grail.”

Hornacek invoked Brown’s name during preseason as an example of a coach who balanced the act of playing young guys and winning during their long “Trust The Process” rebuild.

Asked if he had advice for Hornacek, Brown said: “We based our whole compass on development and relationships. We really try to develop our guys and have a path to help them.”

The Knicks will look to add at least one developmental coach for next season with Pablo Prigioni a candidate

Brown said he was thrilled Marco Bellinelli chose the Sixers after having his contract bought out by the Hawks.

The Sixers occupy the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference at 28-25, leading the 11th-place Knicks by seven games.

“Unbelievable,” Brown said. “He chose us. That’s rare around here, considering the path we’ve been on.”