The Knicks’ depth continues to be tested further, but they’re undaunted as they dig deeper into their bench.
Even though Quentin Grimes joined Julius Randle and OG Anunoby out of the lineup with an injury on Thursday night, Miles McBride’s outside touch helped the Knicks win their ninth straight game, 109-105, over the Pacers at the Garden. A major factor was the improvement in performance.
The third-year guard shot 28.2 percent from 3-point range in sporadic playing time in his first two NBA seasons, but McBride is 3-of-8 from long range in 36 games this season. This figure has increased by an astonishing 45.6%. He scored 16 points in 29 minutes against Indiana.
“Honestly, it all comes down to my belief. I feel like I was hitting the same shot, and now I’m just getting a little bit more opportunity,” RJ Barrett and Immanuel said in December. said McBride, who became a regular in the rotation after Quickley was traded to Toronto. “The organization and the coaching staff continued to believe in me and all that mattered was me being consistent and working on my shots. I’m putting in the effort and it’s showing.”
In fact, the Knicks signed McBride to a three-year extension worth $13 million the same day they acquired Anunoby from the Raptors.
He has appeared in 17 games since January 1, scoring 8.8 points per game.
“One thing I can say is he’s a gym rat. We track every shot and we saw last year that he was very accurate in practice,” Tom Thibodeau said. Told. “It never really translated into the game, but he never really got more playing time. We felt that eventually it would translate, but… It was actually translated.
“He’s a very confident shooter and has a little bit of everything. His defense is elite, he confuses people, and offensively he plays with speed.”
When McBride finished the game in the fourth quarter, a loud, lingering call for his nickname, Deuce, could be heard from the Garden crowd.
Considering his sudden penchant for 3-point shooting, perhaps that nickname should be changed to Trey.
“I feel like that’s just my nature, to be honest. I feel like I’ve worked my whole life to do it,” said McBride, 23. “This is the stage I’ve dreamed of my whole life. I think I’m ready, so it’s natural for me.”
