The New York Knicks have made quite a statement by remaining relatively inactive during the 2026 offseason. Much of their decision-making has been influenced by James Dolan's refusal to go into the second apron, but New York has generally kept the band together sans replacing Mitchell Robinson with Andre Drummond.
If the Knicks' decision to keep a title-winning team generally the same from one season to the next proves anything, it's that they believe their supporting cast can take a step forward. That puts Miles McBride in an excellent position to compete for Most Improved Player and Sixth Man of the Year.
New York's core players are effectively who they're going to be for the rest of their respective primes. There's rational hope that OG Anunoby could take a step forward on offense after a stellar postseason, but he's already 29 years of age and thus may not grow too much more as a player.
Mikal Bridges and Jalen Brunson are also 29, while Josh Hart is 31 and Karl-Anthony Towns is 30. To put it simply: The entire core is smack dab in the prime of their careers.
With this in mind, New York needs the players around the core five to step up and progress in 2026-27. That may take the shape of a more cumulative result than any truly profound individual growth, but McBride is already coming off of a career year—and is still just 25 years of age.
Happy to play his role but skilled enough to do more, McBride could be a Most Improved Player and Sixth Man of the Year award candidate in 2026-27.
Miles McBride could compete for MIP, Sixth Man of the Year
McBride is coming off of a season in which he averaged 12.0 points, 2.6 assists, 2.4 rebounds, 0.9 steals, and 2.7 three-point field goals made in 26.3 minutes per game. He did so on .423/.413/.787 shooting. He also ranked in the 92nd percentile in perimeter isolation defense and the 97th percentile in off-ball chaser defense, per Basketball Index.
That's made all the more impressive by the fact that his progress was derailed by sports hernia surgery that he ideally won't have to undergo again moving forward.
Already one of the best 3-and-D guards in the NBA, McBride should be a Sixth Man of the Year candidate by virtue of opportunity and performance. With Robinson no longer in the picture, McBride should be the clear-cut top reserve and is trending in a promising direction already.
For instance: Between 2024-25 and 2025-26, McBride increased his averages by 2.6 points and 1.1 three-point field goals made per 36 minutes.
In 2026-27, it's safe to believe that McBride will carry an even heavier offensive burden as the Knicks look for ways to diversify their attack. They need to find a way to become unpredictable now that they're the top target of every other NBA team and their resident sharpshooting sixth man initiating more offense could be the key to that development.
Compounded by his defensive impact, McBride should have a strong case for multiple awards if the season plays out the way the offseason suggests it will.
Add us as a preferred source on Google