The New York Knicks took home a win in their preseason opener on Thursday in Abu Dhabi, and Miles McBride was the surprise standout of the day. New York secured the victory 99-84 over their Eastern Conference rival Philadelphia 76ers, and plenty of developments both positive and negative came out of this one.
Here, we'll look at a few of the biggest winners and losers of the day.
Winner: Miles McBride
The fifth-year guard had himself a day against the 76ers. Deuce scored a team-high 12 points on 5-for-7 shooting in 21 minutes of action. This was a highly encouraging outing for a guy who is very much a Knicks fan favorite. Picking up three steals and being a +11 in plus/minus means it couldn't have been a much better preseason debut for McBride.
Players who get off the bench and show their energy and hustle are usually the type of guys who shine in a preseason setting. Those are adjectives any Knicks fan would use to describe Deuce. Seeing him get off to a quick start in the first preseason game would seem to be an excellent sign for the type of season he can end up having.
Loser: Knicks' injury concerns
If Knicks fans weren't already thinking about injury troubles heading into this one, they probably are now. We already knew from media day last week that Josh Hart was going to be playing the upcoming season with a splint on his finger. But unfortunately, Thursday brought some much worse news on the injury front.
In the second quarter against the 76ers, heart slipped on a wet spot on the court and seemed to suffer some sort of non-contact injury. To add insult to injury, he was ejected after throwing the ball into the stands.
And of course, this all came after we learned pregame that OG Anunoby would miss Thursday's game due to a hand injury. Heading into a season with a plethora of injury troubles and concerns is certainly not a position you want to be in.
Winner: Mitchell Robinson
Miles McBride still gets my vote for the player of the day, but Mitchell Robinson's impact was plentiful. In just 18 minutes in one half of action, he scored seven points, grabbed 16 rebounds, and threw in one assist, one block, and one steal.
Robinson continues to trend up. He looks to be New York's starter at center when the regular season begins, and he's stacking a ton of good habits like eating organic foods over the summer and taking care of his body. Knicks fans have every reason to be excited about the direction Robinson is headed in, and what kind of impact he can make as the season approaches.