Back in the summer of 2025, teams around the league were waiting/hoping that the Knicks would make Miles McBride available via trade. Obviously, that never happened.
McBride’s play on Wednesday night showed you exactly why they took that stance.
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Playing in the starting lineup, McBride had 16 points, four assists, a steal and a block in New York’s win over the Clippers.
He also defended ball screens well and made things tough for James Harden and other Clippers.
“He’s an extremely good on-ball defender – especially when it comes to the pick-and-roll game,” Mike Brown said of McBride on Wednesday after the Knicks’ win. “He’s strong, he’s powerful, he’s quick and he’s athletic and he’s a little longer than what you think – so when that screen comes, he knows you run towards the ball, (get your) shoulder and hip over that screen at the same time as the ball (to neutralize your opponent’s advantage). He did a fantastic job with that.”
Brown pointed out that McBride – 6-foot-2, 195 pounds – did well defending Harden.
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“Obviously, there was a size disadvantage with James, but he did a great job on James. You’re not going to stop him, you just hope he misses some of those shots, and he did just (by McBride trying) to get up underneath him,” Brown said.
McBride’s presence in the starting lineup also spaced the floor for New York.
He hit four of his 11 three-point attempts against the Clippers, forcing Los Angeles to extend its defense whenever he had the ball.
“He has to be guarded,” Brown said. “You watched during the course of the game, they had Kawhi [Leonard] on him and, you know, who would have thunk if OG [Anunoby] and Mikal [Bridges] and some of these other guys (are) on the floor, Kawhi is matched up with Deuce; it’s because he can shoot.”
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McBride delivered on an important night for New York, snapping a four-game losing streak.
The Knicks had lost four straight entering the Clippers game. They’re defense was a mess. The offense wasn’t much better. Teams with high expectations can fracture during these stretches.
He also continued a remarkable stretch of shooting.
Since returning from an ankle injury on Dec. 29, McBride has hit 48 percent of his threes (48 attempts). Before the injury, McBride was shooting 43 percent from beyond the arc. McBride’s perimeter shooting and on-ball defense have stood out to opposing team’s evaluators.
“We knew about his shot but it’s the consistency that jumps out,” one opposing scout said. “He’s a threat for them every night.”
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McBride is in the second year of a three-year, $13 million extension that runs through next season. He’s going to get a significant raise – whether it’s a new contract with the Knicks or a new deal from another team.
Every dollar counts for the Knicks right now. They are right up against the second apron in team salary. But as long as McBride continues to shoot and defend at a high level, the team will – presumably – do whatever it takes to keep him in New York.
That’s a story for another day, though.
Right now, McBride is showing you why the Knicks had no interest in trading him this past summer.
“He’s become key for everything they do,” the opposing scout says.
