NY Knicks: Miles McBride looks like the point guard they’ve always wanted

The NY Knicks needed this win. New York, who is currently 12th in the Eastern Conference, has had a variety of players out due to COVID health and safety protocols and they were playing with a tight rotation in Houston.

The Rockets were also short-handed but it seems as if nothing will come easy for the Knicks. In the end, they delivered a valuable win and a big reason for the team’s victory was the play of rookie guard Miles McBride.

NY Knicks: Miles McBride breaks out

So without RJ Barrett, Quentin Grimes, Obi Toppin, and Nerlens Noel, the Knicks had to buckle down.

New York got an encouraging shooting performance from the slumping Evan Fournier but it was really the 2-way play of Miles “Deuce” McBride that caught everyone’s attention.

The profile on McBride coming into the league was clear: Defense and scoring.

We saw in the Summer League just how effective both of those attributes were. McBride’s strength, quickness, and awareness as a defender were on full display in the summer and we saw them last night.

McBride finished the game with 4 steals. It was a refreshing sight to see a NY Knicks guard able to effectively pick up an opposing player full court and give them fits.

Really, that kind of individual perimeter defense is something that has been absent from this Knicks roster this season.

It was not just the defense, it was the point guard play. McBride looked very composed for a rookie ball-handler.

There are some fine-tuned differences in how to truly be a point guard when you compare some young guards in the NBA. McBride’s ability to wisely go through progressions and make the right pass or shot involves a ton of repetition and instinct, and it’s a big difference from the off-ball pick-and-roll ball-handles the Knicks have been putting into the point guard position.

What I mean is, McBride is a true point guard.

9 assists and 0 turnovers isn’t an easy feat to accomplish for an NBA rookie.

This is the exact type of energy boost from a player that the NY Knicks have so desperately needed. It wasn’t just the stat sheet, it’s how well he fits in this system. Head coach Tom Thibodeau is going to have give this kid more of a shot because right now, he may be their best option as a starting point guard.