New York Knicks guard Miles McBride acknowledged for the first time since undergoing surgery that his return timeline remains uncertain and potentially longer than initially hoped.
Speaking with reporters in Milwaukee, McBride said he is progressing slowly and could not commit to a definitive return date as the regular season winds down.
“He said there’s no timeline for his return, hopes to come back for the regular season but doesn’t know. Said it’s a slow process and he’s started shooting without jumping,” Stefan Bondy of the New York Post wrote on X. “I hope to come back for the regular season, but I don’t know. It’s a slow process.”
McBride added that while he has begun shooting, his activity remains limited.
“I’ve started shooting without jumping,” he said.
The comments underscore the uncertainty surrounding McBride’s availability as the Knicks approach the final stretch of the regular season and complicate an already delicate rotation picture for head coach Mike Brown.
Core Injury Discovered After Additional Medical Evaluation
McBride also elaborated on the circumstances that led to his surgery, according to James Edwards III of The Athletic.
According to Edwards, McBride explained that the issue surfaced after he sought medical evaluations for multiple lingering ailments.
“He said he went to get his ankle and other things that were bothering him checked out and learned about the core issue,” Edwards reported on X.
McBride again declined to provide a timetable, reinforcing that the recovery process has been deliberate rather than linear. While he has resumed form shooting, his workload remains tightly controlled.
“He didn’t offer a timetable to return but is able to do form shooting,” Edwards wrote. “Called it a slow process.”
Timing Poses Challenge for Knicks’ Stretch Run
The timing could hardly be worse for the New York Knicks, who are balancing postseason positioning with lineup continuity under Brown.
McBride underwent surgery on Feb. 6 to repair a core muscle injury and was originally given a 6-to-8 week recovery window. While the optimistic end of that range left open the possibility of a late-March return, McBride’s own comments now suggest that outcome is far from guaranteed.
If the recovery stretches toward the full eight weeks, McBride could miss most — if not all — of the remaining regular season, which concludes April 12. The NBA playoffs begin April 18.
Knicks Missing a Key Two-Way Piece
Before the injury, McBride was in the midst of the most productive season of his career, emerging as one of the Knicks’ most reliable perimeter contributors.
The 25-year-old was averaging career highs across the board: 12.9 points, 2.9 assists, 2.6 rebounds and nearly one steal per game in 28.0 minutes, primarily off the bench. He was also connecting on 42 percent of his three-point attempts, the best mark on the team.
His combination of shot-making, point-of-attack defense and chemistry with Jalen Brunson made him a fixture in late-game lineups — a role that has since shifted to Jose Alvarado following McBride’s absence.
No Rush, But No Guarantees
While McBride remains hopeful he can return before the postseason, his comments made clear that neither he nor the team is rushing the process.
For the Knicks, that creates a familiar dilemma: whether reintegrating a key rotation player late in the season helps sharpen their playoff ceiling — or disrupts momentum already being built without him.
For now, the only certainty is uncertainty.
And as McBride put it himself, the process is slow, with the calendar offering little margin for error.
Miles McBride Gives Concerning Update on Knicks Return Timeline