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Miles McBride was selected 36th overall in the 2021 NBA Draft by the New York Knicks but has failed to register a single bucket since entering the league. In fairness to McBride, he hasn’t been given much of an opportunity in New York’s opening 14 games, making just four appearances logging a total of four minutes of playing time, per Basketball-Reference.
McBride, a 6-foot-2 point guard out of Cincinnati, Ohio, came into the league with a reputation as a scorer after shooting 41.4% from three during his sophomore year at college. Tanktahon tracked McBride’s stats at West Virginia last season and has him listed as scoring 15.9 points, dropping 4.8 assists, garnering 1.9 steals, and pulling down 3.9 boards per game in a very productive season.
Furthermore, with an 81.3% conversion rate from the three-throw line, there’s every reason to believe that McBride’s shooting stroke is legitimate and that within the right environment, he would succeed in carving out a role in an NBA rotation.
Unfortunately, the Knicks have numerous offensively gifted guards in their rotation and added two more during the off-season in Kemba Walker and Evan Fournier, who both made the short trip across state lines, having spent last season with the Boston Celtics.
New York’s Guard Rotation Is Tough To Crack
Just a season ago, Knicks fans were calling for extra help at the guard position to ease the reliance on Elfrid Payton, fast-forward a few months, and now it’s one of the most competitive spots on their team.
Kemba Walker, Derrick Rose, and Immanuel Quickley are all ahead of the rookie guard, and rightly so. While McBride possesses a reputation as a guard with both defensive upside and room to grow as an offensive penetrator, having such talented veterans in front of you will only serve to test your competitive spirit. Something head coach Tom Thibodeau is banking on.
“I also think having substitutes in practice for some of our guys is an important part. The value has to be what’s best for us. We put a lot of time in our player development, so they put in work before,” Thibodeau told the media, as reported by Marc Berman of the New York Post.
With such little playing time available to McBride on the Knicks bench, being afforded game reps with Westchester makes perfect sense in terms of keeping the rookie on a developmental path and in game shape should the team need to call his number down the line.
Thibodeau Loves the Proximity of Westchester
Multiple NBA teams are utilizing this year by assigning end-of-bench development players to their G-League teams for home games. The reasoning is simple; the player doesn’t have to leave the state and can be recalled to the team’s facilities the following day to practice with the primary squad.
McBride may find himself making the trip between Tarrytown and Westchester on a consistent basis in the weeks and months to come as he tries to claw his way into some meaningful NBA game time.
“I like the thought of [G League] playing time, and I love the proximity of it, playing a game and also get back and be with us. We’ll see how it unfolds, but right now, I need them to be with us,” Thibodeau told the media as reported by the New York Post.
McBride is on a three-year deal with the Knicks, with his third year being a team option, and has plenty of time to carve out an opportunity with this Knicks main rotation. But for now, McBride will need to impress the coaching staff when he takes to the floor for Westchester, with their next game coming on Wednesday, November 17th, against the Long Island Knicks.
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