The New York Knicks were without key reserve guard Miles McBride for 28 games because he needed to undergo surgery for a sports hernia. The guard was able to return with time to spare ahead of the team's pivotal 2026 playoff run, but had to exit for the rest of the game after just one half against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Sunday.
It seemed like a re-aggravation of that recently-repaired core injury, which would have been one of the worst outcomes for the 25-year-old and his health ahead of the postseason. However, reporters in Houston shared some positive signs on Tuesday afternoon with it seeming like McBride had participated in shoot around with the rest of the team.
And ahead of the team's Tuesday night showdown with the Houston Rockets, Mike Brown just told reporters that the fifth-year guard is ready to go. It's the ultimate confirmation that McBride is alright, which is great news for him and Knick fans regardless of the time of the year. But it's especially impactful given that there are just a couple of weeks to go until the Knicks' most important playoff run in decades.
McBride's re-injury scare seemingly nothing to worry about
Fans feared the worst when McBride went down in Oklahoma City. It made sense, especially given the extra-unfortunate timing of the injury coming in his literal return game. But from what Brown told members of the media ahead of their game against the Rockets, it seems like it may have all been a false alarm.
Knick fans are likely more than happy to have been wrong in this particular regard. McBride brings arguably the most consistent mix of 3-point shooting and perimeter defense of anyone on the roster, shooting 41.5% from downtown going into Tuesday's game in Houston and being credited often by Brown as one of the team's two-best on-ball defenders along with Landry Shamet.
Shamet is on his way back to the Knicks' rotation, but isn't ready yet
Speaking of the veteran sharpshooter, Brown gave out a positive update on his status on Tuesday as well. The coach told reporters that he's practicing and scrimmaging against the team's young players, which include prospects like sophomores Tyler Kolek and Pacôme Dadiet.
Shamet isn't necessarily the best shooter, defender, or athlete on the Knicks' roster. But he brings enough to the table in each of those regards to be an impactful role player, at times closing out tight games over Mikal Bridges. His consistency has been valuable, and the Knicks will definitely need him back too.