Miles McBride keeps showing why the Knicks trust him every night, and now he’s getting the kind of league-wide recognition that usually comes only after everyone else catches up. The New York backup guard has long been one of the stronger bench pieces in the NBA, but last season pushed him into a new lane as an elite sixth man on a bargain contract.
That breakout showed up in the numbers. McBride finished with more than 12 points per game and knocked down better than 40% of his three-pointers, both career highs for the fifth-year guard from West Virginia. Under Mike Brown, he quickly became one of New York’s most reliable scorers off the bench.
Bleacher Report recently slotted McBride as the fifth-most underrated player in the league, and Zach Buckley pointed to the kind of impact that doesn’t always jump off the page but absolutely shows up in winning.
“In four of his five seasons, he’s had better than a plus-two net differential. Over the past two seasons, the ‘Bockers have been 5.4 points better per 100 possessions with him than without. That’s an enormous number considering he is typically backing up one of the best quintets in basketball,” wrote Bleacher Report’s Zach Buckley.
That’s the thing with McBride: he can slip under the radar while still tilting games. He brings a burst on offense, but he’s also the kind of guard who can step into a bigger role when the Knicks need it. That showed up in his 25-point, seven 3-pointer outburst against the Philadelphia 76ers in Game 4 of the second round, when OG Anunoby was out.
He’s been valuable for a while now, thanks to his relentless defense and his ability to shoot the lights out. Those traits made him a key part of New York’s run at a championship.
And he’s set up to matter again next season, when the Knicks try to repeat as champions. McBride is heading into a contract year, and with an annual salary of about $4 million, a bigger payday looks inevitable. Soon enough, the rest of the league should see exactly what he gives a winning team.
In Other News...
Andre Drummond Gives Knicks A Real Playoff Rotation Question
Andre Drummond is back in the kind of role that has followed him for much of his career, and the Knicks are betting that his size and physicality can steady the second unit. The one-year deal, worth about $3.9 million, gives New York a veteran backup center who can rebound, screen and protect the paint, filling the opening left by Mitchell Robinsons departure in free agency.
The regular season should offer plenty of chances for Drummond to carve out minutes, but the real question comes later, when the games tighten and matchups get more specific. His style is different from Robinsons, and that difference could matter most when the Knicks start sorting out who can stay on the floor in the late stages of playoff games. [Read more 🡒]
Knicks May Have Quietly Chosen Depth Over A Bigger Swing
The Knicks center picture kept shifting this week, and not in a way that points toward a splashy summer swing. New York had its offer sheet to restricted free agent Moussa Ciss matched by the Dallas Mavericks, cutting off one route to adding another big man after the club had already used one of its roster moves on Andre Drummond.
There was also the loss of Ariel Hukporti to the Philadelphia 76ers, who were able to top his minimum contract by $1 million. Taken together, the moves suggest the Knicks have been working the margins for frontcourt depth rather than clearing space for a major addition, even as the final roster spot has become part of a much bigger conversation around how aggressive they can still be. [Read more 🡒]
Knicks May Soon Face A Tough Call On One Rising Guard
Miles McBride keeps showing why he has become one of the Knicks more valuable rotation pieces. Bleacher Report recently placed him among the NBAs most underrated players, a nod to the kind of impact he makes without always drawing the spotlight. His defensive work has long stood out, and he has paired that with efficient offense in a role that has only grown more important for New York.
The tricky part is that value cuts both ways. With the Knicks already staring at future financial pressure and extensions looming for key pieces, every movable contract starts to matter more, and McBride is the kind of player rival teams notice. For a club trying to keep its core intact while staying flexible, a rising guard with real market appeal can quickly become part of a tougher conversation than his play alone would suggest. [Read more 🡒]