Over the course of the last five seasons, New York Knicks fans have seen Miles McBride gradually turn himself from a fringe rotation player into a true needle-moving contributor. Now, this season has been the height of his transformation, as Deuce has become one of the team's most important role players.
It's come at the perfect time for a team that came into this campaign with legitimate expectations of representing the Eastern Conference in the NBA Finals. New York has needed some of the more unexpected names on its roster to take a step up, and McBride has certainly answered the call.
Earlier on in his career, Miles was an inconsistent defender who couldn't seem to find his shot from beyond the arc. During his first two seasons as a Knick, he averaged less than three points per game and couldn't manage to hit more than 29% of his three-point attempts.
The doubters who thought he was destined to be a career G Leaguer were looking like they were going to be vindictated. But fast forward to today, and McBride couldn't look much more different from how he did in 2021 and 2022. This team now thrives off his strong play both offensively and defensively.
Miles McBride has become a massive asset for the Knicks
During this season, Deuce has been arguably the Knicks' best point of attack defender. He's taking on tough defensive assignments and making life difficult for opposing ball-handlers. Number two has become a big asset when it comes to disrupting the offensive rhythm of opponents and contributing toward the overall team defensive identity.
Then on the other side of things, McBride has turned himself into a much more impactful player on offense, and his career-high 13.0 points per game are evidence of that. He's moving well off the ball, and finding ways to put himself in positions to be successful.
His shooting percentages have been fantastic all season long. There hasn't been a month of this season that he's failed to average double digits in scoring, or shot below 40% from three yet. For the entire year, Miles is making 43% of his shots from the floor and 42% from distance. Those numbers, and especially the second one, highlight how much of a difference he's been making for New York's overall offensive output.
This season has been the reality that Knicks fans have always envisioned for McBride. He may not be a superstar, but he's playing a big part in contributing to offensive and defensive success, and every championship-aspiring team needs those kinds of role players.