The New York Knicks have been steadily asserting themselves as one of the best teams in the Eastern Conference, and a key guard’s growth has been noticed by veteran leader Josh Hart.
Following the Knicks' 119-104 victory over the Charlotte Hornets on Wednesday, Hart praised the offensive work that teammate Miles McBride has put in over the past few seasons. He has been particularly impressed by McBride’s improved shooting.
“You got to give him credit,” Hart told SNY. “He stayed in the gym, made improvements. Now he's extremely confident”
McBride tallied 15 points while shooting 4-of-9 from the field and 3-of-7 from distance in the win over Charlotte. The 25-year-old has started in games this season and has become an integral part of New York’s attack.
The Knicks needed McBride’s offense on Wednesday. Despite building an early lead, they struggled to put the game out of reach.
“Teams aren’t just going to lay down,” Brunson told Jared Schwartz of the New York Post. “We build a lead, you’ve got to anticipate they’re going to fight back, they’re not just going to give up. We’ve got to do a better job of slowing down their runs and limiting them. But we can’t let them get all the way back like we’ve been doing. But I think first and foremost, how we respond to that is how we get better as a team. As long as we’re making strides in that direction, we’re improving.”
Across 18 games this season, McBride has averaged a career-high 11.4 points while shooting roughly 44 percent from the field and 44 percent from range.
It remains to be seen if the Knicks will look to make additions ahead of this season’s trade deadline, but the former second-round draft pick could be an x-factor when push comes to shove.
