The Knicks' bench struggles have been well-documented all playoffs. In the first round, they ranked last in minutes played from the bench and second to last in points scored from the bench.
Outside of Mitchell Robinson, who is not much of an offensive threat, the Knicks got very little production in any meaningful way from their bench, outside of allowing their starters the rare chance to catch their breath.
Against the Pistons, where the Knicks were the more talented team, they were able to survive. That will not be the case against Boston, where the Knicks will have the less talented roster. Against the Celtics, the Knicks will need their bench to not just perform, but to overperform.
The Deuce needs to get loose
Plain and simple, the Knicks need more from Deuce McBride. In the Knicks' Game 6 victory to close out the Detroit Pistons, McBride looked scared, like he didn't belong.
Prior to Game 6, I wrote about how important it was that Tom Thibodeau start giving McBride a bigger opportunity. Although McBride had not played well through the first five games of the series, I still thought the impact and spacing he created would be incredibly beneficial to the Knicks' offense.
As a refresher, when McBride played with the starters in place of Josh Hart, the Knicks had a net rating of 7.29 and an offensive rating of 127 in 41 minutes in the regular season. Additionally, when playing alongside McBride, Jalen Brunson averaged 6.6 more points per 75 possessions, while shooting 7.7 percent better from three and 11.2 percent better at the rim.
Those numbers are significant and should certainly carry weight when the Knicks' coaching staff makes their first substitutions in Game 1 against the Celtics.
With that being said, all of those numbers go right out the window if McBride plays like he did in Game 6. It wasn't just the poor shooting; McBride shot 25 percent and only took four shots. In his 17 minutes, he also had a turnover and was a -6. He looked lost on the court, his dribble was loose and directionless. He looked like a player who had struggled for five games and was now cracking from the pressure.
Against Boston, that cannot happen. McBride can't just exist on the court, he has to make a significant impact. At his best, McBride is the Knicks' best screen navigator and arguably their best perimeter defender against smaller guards.
With Boston's 3-point shooting pressure, McBride finding his shot will also become massively important. He is a high-volume shooter, averaging 7 3-point attempts per 36 minutes in the regular season. He is also in an incredibly long slump. He will need to break out of that slump this series.
This is a new series and a blank page
In that same Game 6, Mikal Bridges had his defining moment on the Knicks. He played his best game of the playoffs and was a huge part of their victory.
The Knicks are going to need McBride to have a similarly defining moment at some point this series against Boston. It will be too much to ask the starters, specifically Jalen Brunson, to carry the entire roster on his back.
Speaking to the press prior to Game 1, McBride talked about how the regular season no longer mattered and that the Boston series was a new start. Similarly, the Detroit series should no longer matter for McBride. This is the start of something new. A new chance for him to have a defining moment.