Patient McBride finally gets ‘D’ shot he’s been waiting for
The waiting has been the hardest part for Miles McBride, but it’s not like he hasn’t done it before.
The second-year Knicks guard says he sat out the entirety of his junior hoops season at Moeller High School in Cincinnati after suffering a foot injury playing quarterback for the football team. He then didn’t play football during his senior season after committing to play college basketball at West Virginia.
The 2021 second-round pick played sparingly as a rookie and again to start this season. But McBride replaced Derrick Rose in the Knicks’ rotation earlier this week, and he has helped Tom Thibodeau’s team to three consecutive victories entering Sunday’s home game against Sacramento.
“I understood coming out [of college] it would be tough playing behind last year it was Kemba [Walker], D-Rose, Alec Burks. This year it’s still D-Rose, and now Jalen [Brunson],” the 22-yearold McBride said after scoring a season-high 10 points with two steals in 24 minutes in Friday’s win in Charlotte. “So I just knew it was time to work on my game and my opportunity would come.”
Asked how he prepared for that patience as a young NBA player, McBride recounted his two-sport days in high school.
“I would say, when I got injured my junior year in football,” McBride said. “We had a really good [basketball] team. We had Jaxson Hayes [who is] with the Pelicans and a lot of other D-1 guys. I had to miss that whole season of basketball. I understand to be patient and things will happen for a reason and just to keep working on my mental and physical.”
McBride and recent starter Quentin Grimes have made a noticeable impact in increased roles, especially on the perimeter at the defensive end. The Knicks have limited the Cavaliers, Hawks and Hornets to 20.6 percent shooting from 3-point range during their three-game winning streak, and Thibodeau said the two young guards have had “a lot” to do with it.
“They read the ball well. They take air space away. They play physical without fouling, very disciplined, a knack for it,” Thibodeau said. “Long. They know how to challenge shots. And some [the Hornets] missed. But a lot of them were challenged well.”
➤ Even with forward Obi Toppin (fractured fibula) out of the lineup, Thibodeau kept Rose and Cam Reddish on the bench for the third straight game. He played Jericho Sims (two points in 12 minutes) alongside backup center Isaiah Hartenstein on the second unit.