NEW YORK -- If you want to know what the rest of the NBA thinks about Kristaps Porzingis' performance on Wednesday, listen to Derrick Rose.

"It's kind of crazy," Rose said. "... He's going out here scoring 30, and he really don't know the NBA yet. That's scary."

Scary for the rest of the NBA but potentially franchise-altering for the New York Knicks.

On Wednesday night, Porzingis showed he's the kind of player you build rosters around. He hung 35 on the Detroit Pistons, scoring from all over the court and creating what felt like one 40-minute Vine at Madison Square Garden during a 105-102 Knicks victory.

There was the alley-oop finish:

Can't decide if we want to laugh or hide after this Porzingis stare-down https://t.co/ylx2eBkjcY — NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) November 17, 2016

This man is 7'3" https://t.co/6MmNMH4pBY — CP3 Point Gawd🙏🏻 (@World_Wide_Wob) November 17, 2016

Porzingis is a video game https://t.co/bsqeD2Txoi — John Ledesma (@JohnnyNBA) November 17, 2016

Kristaps Porzingis just blocked a shot and hi-fived fans on his way down the floor, this is truly his greatest performance to date pic.twitter.com/sSc0Kgadd4 — Kenny Ducey (@KennyDucey) November 17, 2016

The push up the court and wrong-footed layup:The face-up, spin, leading into a fall-away:The block and subsequent celebration with the fans in the first row:

All of this left Knicks coach Jeff Hornacek with a sense of optimism amid the Knicks' rocky 5-6 start.

"[Porzingis is] obviously probably just scratching the surface of what he's going to become, so it's going to be fun to watch," the coach said.

Hornacek is too savvy to say it publicly, but he and the rest of the coaching staff have to know that the Knicks' offense is most dangerous when taking advantage of the mismatches Porzingis creates.

There were times last season when the coaching staff believed Porzingis was the best player on the roster. Nights like Wednesday bolster that theory.

Rather than getting lost amid Rose and Carmelo Anthony, Porzingis has taken a step forward in Year 2. He's averaging 20 points on 50 percent shooting, including 40 percent from beyond the arc. Those aren't the numbers of a player who is deferring too often to his teammates.

And both Anthony and Rose seem all too happy to share the ball -- and the spotlight.

"When he has it going, we want to go through that," said Anthony, who called Porzingis' performance on Wednesday "brilliant."

"I appreciate when he do have it going, then I can just kind of pick my spots on the court through the course of the game."

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Anthony found his spots Wednesday, scoring 22 points on 17 shots. Rose added 15 points, Joakim Noah had 15 rebounds and Brandon Jennings had seven assists. Late in the game, the crowd at MSG serenaded Porzingis with an "MVP" chant. The 21-year-old is already wise enough to dismiss such silliness.

"Too early. It's too early. It's the New York crowd," Porzingis said, adding that he appreciated the support.

There was another moment in the fourth quarter when Porzingis heard the MSG faithful cheering, so he peered at the Jumbotron.

"I look up like, 'What is going on? It was my picture," he said. "I was like, 'Oh no, that guy's ugly.'"

That's the kind of self-deprecation that has endeared Porzingis to his teammates. He's deferential to veterans and always seems to say the right thing.

"He's a great kid, and you want to see good people succeed," Noah said. "He really deserves all of it, and the sky's the limit for him."

Nights such as Wednesday are probably what Phil Jackson envisioned for Porzingis and the Knicks when he put the team together over the summer.

But things haven't come together smoothly for New York. The Knicks were without Rose for two weeks in the preseason during his civil trial in Los Angeles. Noah missed time with a hamstring injury. The starters played together for the first time on opening night and have had to learn on the fly.

There was public and private griping about the offense early on and a string of poor defensive performances.

More recently, the Knicks had to deal with an outside distraction after LeBron James took offense to Jackson referring to his business associates as a "posse." Regardless of how you feel about Jackson's word choice and James' reaction, offending the game's best player -- and, probably, one of its top agents -- is bad for business in New York.

But nights such as Wednesday remind you that, no matter what happens the rest of this season -- or for the rest of Jackson's tenure -- he deserves credit for drafting the skinny, 7-foot-3 center from Latvia.

As long as the Knicks have Porzingis, they'll have hope.