Miles McBride's importance to the Knicks has been well documented over the last few years by both Knicks fans and those around the league. As indisputable McBride's importance to this team is though, he's far from a perfect player.
He's a shooting guard in a point guard's body but doesn't have the ball handling or shot creation to create for others or for himself. This hamstrings him some matchups where his usually strong defense isn't enough to be a net-positive.
Throughout the last few months, we haven't seen McBride at his best. He struggled in the Finals. He was arguably the most disappointing player in the preseason . And he struggled offensively in the season opener, with his shot going awry once again .
That's all still a relatively small sample size, and you'd be wise to value the last three seasons worth of data over a handful of games. But we can't be sure that the Knicks necessarily feel the same way.
Last season, McBride logged less than 15 minutes in just four of his 41 regular season games, with a couple of them being due to injury. One game into this season , he's one for one, which is odd considering the Knicks were playing against Tyrese Maxey, the kind of elite downhill point guard the Knicks often deploy McBride more against.
However, entering this season, some believed that McBride's minutes were in jeopardy with Landry Shamet elevating his game in the playoffs. Shamet already averaged 23 mpg last season and McBride averaged just 3.3 more at 26.3MPG. Both players had their ups and downs, though, so it's surprising such a change would occur so soon into this campaign.
It could simply mean nothing and all of this becomes moot in the upcoming days. But it could also signal the Knicks' openness to trading him.
I, like many, would advise the Knicks against that. McBride is on an expiring contract and playing out the season with him would likely mean losing him for nothing. That can be a tough pill to swallow when you have such a talented young player on a valuable contract. But if the Knicks' number one priority for the 2026-27 season is to win another championship, keeping McBride is their best option.
The Knicks obviously like McBride. And in a world in which the second apron doesn't exist, I believe an extension would have already been agreed on. But with his likely inevitable departure, and the Knicks' love for Shamet, looking at the Knicks' opening night usage of McBride as a sign of things to come isn't unreasonable.
He's one of the only trade chips opponents value and it'd be the Knicks' easiest path to improving the team. Even after the James Wiseman signing , Andre Drummond's lackluster second half has fans questioning if the team still needs another center. And Mohamed Diawara's absence in the rotation could mean the Knicks may need another proven wing as well.
This is a team that many believed had their roles and minutes pretty solidified. They had pretty much every contributor come back besides Mitchell Robinson and enter the season injury-free. And it is after all just speculation after one game.
Yet McBride's playing time and effectiveness are truly worth monitoring in the opening week of the year, as it could signal a trade or larger changes to the rotation than we may have expected .
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This article was originally published on www.si.com/nba/knicks/onsi as Miles McBride's Season Opener May Have Signaled Knicks' Plans for Him .
