One of the bigger trades in the NBA this season involved the New York Knicks and Toronto Raptors. The headliners in the deal were OG Anunoby heading to New York, with RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickley heading north.
Alas, the smaller parts of the deal are what have paid off the most. Anunoby has been excellent when on the court for the Knicks, but an elbow issue has cost him 21 games and counting. Precious Achiuwa has been a major addition to that deal, as he has stepped up big-time with so many injuries on the roster.
Another major takeaway has been the production of Miles McBride. A big reason the Knicks made that deal was to open up playing time for him in the backcourt. The franchise was confident enough in him getting the job done that they immediately signed him to a three-year, $13 million deal shortly after the trade.
NBA NEWS & SCORES: Miles McBride & New York Knicks Updates
The Knicks knew what they had in McBride and he has been unleashed on the rest of the NBA in the weeks since. A highly regarded defensive player, McBride has shown major improvements with his offensive skill set as well.
He has been an efficient shooter over his most recent stretch of games, the most productive set of games in his NBA career. Turning into a two-way player is something the Knicks thought he was capable of, and now other people are beginning to take notice.
During a recent episode of his podcast, The Old Man and The Three, with J.J. Redick, with his guest, fellow former NBA sharpshooter Tim Legler. They were discussing unsung heroes across the league and McBride was praised for what he brings to the team.
“It’s like ‘Wow…This guy’s coming in with this level of energy, this level of defensive tenacity, and he’s gonna shoot over 40% from 3 for this team?’ That is an absolute game changer,” Redick said, via New York Basketball on X.
NBA NEWS & SCORES: Miles McBride & New York Knicks Updates
The shooting efficiency is really what sticks out for McBride during this recent stretch. He has turned himself into a bonafide weapon on that end of the court after already proving time and time again that he is a difference-maker defensively.
With confidence from head coach Tom Thibodeau rising, McBride’s role for the team is as secure as anyone’s. Thibodeau has even begun playing McBride alongside Jalen Brunson, something he was not comfortable doing earlier in the season, as the West Virginia product has pretty much assumed the role that used to be held by Quickley.
There are still some areas McBride can improve on to take his performance to the next level. But, he is an NBA-rotation-level player, at the very least, with room to become even better.
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