CLEVELAND — Miles McBride never left the game.
With his unpredictable status in the rotation and two new acquisitions to fill his position, McBride will need to take advantage of every opportunity.
And nothing was bigger than Sunday, at least on a minute-to-minute basis.
After Jalen Brunson was sidelined with a knee contusion, McBride stepped in as point guard and played over 47 minutes, helping the Knicks win 107-98.
He was also former All-Star Darius Garland’s primary defender, holding him to 19 points in 40 minutes.
McBride had 16 points and five assists with zero turnovers.
“He was running around with Darius Garland,” Josh Hart said. “And if Garland wasn’t in the game, he was running around with us.” [Max] Strass and [Sam] Merrill. So, it speaks volumes about his conditioning, competitiveness and tenacity. After all, once you join, that competitive spirit really takes over. He had it. It’s crazy for him to play 47 minutes straight.”
“He’s got young legs,” Donte DiVincenzo added of McBride’s accomplishments.
McBride, who buried a dagger trey in the final moments, said he was still in good spirits after the game.
“I feel good, to be honest. That’s what I put in the offseason work. Preparing my body for this,” he said. “You never know what’s going to happen. [Brunson] Hopefully we’ll be fine, but we have to be prepared for anything. ”
Assuming Brunson returns from his knee injury in the near future, McBride will soon have a new threat in his spot.
With the addition of point guard Shake Milton in free agency, the Knicks will have a fifth guard in their nine-man rotation, which could be shortened to eight players once the playoffs begin. be.
“I’m really trying not to worry,” McBride said. “I think I just have to do the best I can. When my name is called, my name is called. Other than that, it really doesn’t affect me.”
McBride is one of only three raw draft picks left on the roster and has become manager Tom Thibodeau’s default option amid a rash of injuries for the Knicks.
This led to a dramatic improvement in his shooting percentage, with McBride’s three-shooting percentage increasing to nearly 40 percent heading into Sunday’s game against the Cavaliers.
McBride, 23, said Sunday he knew the economy would get a boost. Last season, McBride leapfrogged Derrick Rose and Evan Fournier by minutes.
“Certainly I felt like I could come into this year understanding the NBA game a little bit more and knowing where to take my shots,” said McBride, perhaps the Knicks’ top perimeter defender. “I felt like this year was going to be a big breakthrough year.”
