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The New York Knicks looked good in their first pre-season outing. They defeated the Charlotte Hornets 111-109 behind Jalen Brunson and new addition Karl-Anthony Towns, as well as strong bench play that was spearheaded by Miles McBride. McBride played 25 minutes and looked sharp in the team's pre-season debut. And while it was Josh Hart and not McBride who rounded out New York's starting five, it is still possible that McBride convinces coach Tom Thibodeau that he deserves to start before the season opener against the Boston Celtics on October 22.
Miles McBride makes case for joining starters in first pre-season game
McBride posted a +22 net rating in the Knicks' preseason win over the Hornets, accumulating 22 points, three assists, one steal, and only one turnover, all the while making four of his nine three-point attempts. He led the team in points (22) and tallied the second-most minutes of any Knick behind only Cam Payne.
Like he did so often last season, McBride played with energy and enthusiasm. His peskiness was omnipresent on the defensive end of the floor. He also made tough buckets, moved the ball well, and knocked down in-rhythm (but not wide-open) three-pointers.
How would a starting lineup with McBride perform?
McBride fits nicely alongside Brunson, Mikal Bridges, OG Anunoby, and Towns. But so does Josh Hart. Essentially, the Knicks must decide which of the two will be their starting shooting guard, even if “shooting guard” is nearly interchangeable with “small forward” (and to a lesser extent,”power forward”).
But McBride plays bigger than his six-foot-two-inch stature suggests, and he's proved that he can play against opposing teams' starters. In fact, he started 14 games last season, averaging 17.9 points and 4.1 assists in 43.3 minutes per start. What's more, he shot the ball just as well in high minutes as a starter as he did in a smaller role, and his net plus/minus actually increased from -3.0 as a reserve to +2.1 as a starter.
The Knicks went 6-8 with McBride in the starting lineup. But it's fair to call attention to the fact that five of those starts were in place of Brunson and the other nine came without Anunoby (and Julius Randle). We know how valuable Brunson is to the team, but Anunoby had an unprecedented net plus/minus and led the Knicks to an astonishing record in his appearances last season, making for an unfair comparison.
Will Miles McBride join the starting lineup?
Miles McBride might be his own worst enemy in terms of him joining the starters. Not only did he play well with the second unit in the team's first preseason outing, but he powered the second unit.
New York undoubtedly needs a scoring punch off its bench. If not McBride, who else provides it? Maybe Tyler Kolek, but Thibodeau has been hesitant to rely on rookies, historically.
Cam Payne, Jericho Sims, and Precious Achiuwa are all capable in their own way, but none can create their own shots. That leaves Landry Shamet and McBride. But Shamet shot a career-worst 33.8% on three-pointers last season, and McBride has already earned Thibodeau's trust.
With Donte DiVincenzo settling into a new role with the Minnesota Timberwolves, McBride figures to replace him in the team's rotation, and that was (for better or worse) in the team's second unit.
For a means of predicting how much McBride might play, we can look to DiVincenzo's role with the 2023-24 Knicks. Before his ascension to the starting lineup, DiVincenzo averaged 20.3 minutes per game. Considering McBride is a known commodity whereas DiVincezo was a new addition (as of this time last season), it's fair to assume that McBride will play even more minutes.
Ultimately, McBride is probably better suited to anchor the Knicks' bench than Hart given their respective strengths. He will inevitably play 20-25 minutes per game. He will serve multiple roles, relieving Brunson, Hart, and Bridges, initiating the offense, and playing off the ball.
Can McBride serve as a starter today? He most certainly can. But he is simply more valuable to the 2024-25 Knicks as its sixth man. Hopefully, the front office values his versatility as much as the fans do.
