There are many casual fans of the NBA who have likely never heard of New York Knicks point guard Miles McBride. But, they are going to start to recognize it as McBride has been turning himself into quite the producer for the Knicks.
McBride’s role earlier in the season was a sporadic one. He was the third point guard, buried behind Jalen Brunson and Immanuel Quickley. His role was set to expand once the Knicks made a trade with the Toronto Raptors, which saw Quickley heading out of town.
New York quickly moved to lock McBride into a long-term deal, agreeing to a three-year, $13 million contract. He has quickly outperformed that pact, taking his performance to another level in recent weeks.
With the Knicks short-handed and missing several key contributors, McBride has turned into an integral part of their rotation. Looking to shake things up, head coach Tom Thibodeau inserted McBride into the starting lineup in place of OG Anunoby and the results have been spectacular.
Against the Raptors on Wednesday night, McBride had the best game of his career. He tied his career-high with 29 points, draining nine 3-pointers. He also handed out seven assists compared to only one turnover in 40 minutes.
That performance made him only the second Knick in franchise history with at least nine 3-pointers and seven assists in the same game. The first player to accomplish it was Brunson, in his 50-point masterclass against the Phoenix Suns earlier this season.
But, McBride’s performance differentiated from Brunson’s in one way. It put him with some elite company in NBA history, as he only turned the ball over once As shared by Tommy Beer on X, McBride is only the sixth player this century to have 9/7 with fewer than two turnovers in a game.
It is a star-studded list that McBride finds himself on. He joins superstars Luka Doncic, Jayson Tatum, LeBron James, Stephen Curry and Damian Lillard.
Deuce is just the sixth NBA player this century with 9+ three-pointers, 7+ assists and fewer than 2 turnovers in one game.
— Tommy Beer (@TommyBeer) March 28, 2024
The other five are:
Luka Doncic
Jayson Tatum
LeBron James
Dame Lillard
Steph Curry https://t.co/hycrXaSJLv
Being mentioned among those elite players is certainly an honor for McBride. Doing so given where he started this season makes it that much more of an impressive feat. Just a few months ago he wasn’t even in the Knicks’ rotation; now, Thibodeau finds difficulty in subbing him out of games.
More must-reads:
Get the latest news and rumors, customized to your favorite sports and teams. Emailed daily. Always free!