The Knicks' bench is thin. It’s a challenge the team has dealt with all year, as they finished last in bench scoring. The starting lineup played more than any five-man unit in the NBA during the regular season. The playoffs have only increased the burden on the starters. The Knicks bench averaged 11.5 points in New York’s six-game first round series win against the Detroit Pistons.
Heading into the team’s second round playoff matchup with the Boston Celtics, the club will need a bench player to step up and be an X-factor. That reserve has to be combo guard Miles McBride.
McBride’s playoff experience this year has been difficult. In the first round, he averaged just 3.8 points. The guard shot an ugly 26.7 percent from the field and 26.3 percent from behind the three-point line.
Creating depth off the bench has been a challenge for the Knicks in the playoffs, as only McBride and Mitchell Robinson averaged double figures in minutes. Cam Payne found a rhythm with 14 points in Game 1, but scored only eight combined points over the last five games.
Though McBride had a series to forget, he offers the Knicks solid two-way play on the floor that is needed in a series against an elite team in Boston. Despite standing just 6-foot-2, McBride has a near 6-foot-9 wingspan. He’s also a career 36 percent shooter from the three-point line.
The first round was a shocker. McBride has been productive and a quality rotation piece since the Knicks first transformed the roster and sent away Immanuel Quickley and RJ Barrett to the Toronto Raptors to acquire OG Anunoby. The Knicks’ sixth man this season, McBride was solid with 9.5 points in 24.9 minutes. In last year’s playoff run, he was a vital contributor, averaging 11.0 points on 43.5 percent from the field in 13 games.
McBride only averaged 16.0 minutes in the first round. But as the Knicks prepare for the Celtics, he should see a larger role. He has been an above average three-point shooter the last two seasons.
Making a positive impact
One issue for the Knicks will be getting up threes. Currently, New York is dead last in three-point attempts per 100 possessions among the 16 playoff teams. Against a Celtics club that had the highest three-point attempt rate in the regular season, the Knicks are going to need to let it fly. McBride leads the Knicks in three-point attempts per 36 minutes in the postseason. That could be crucial in helping push the team into more shots from long distance.
If the Knicks can create some opportunities in transition, that could be helpful to open up three-point looks for their shooters including McBride, who opens up different lineup options for the Knicks. This season, team’s have put their centers on Josh Hart while having a smaller player guard center Karl-Anthony Towns. The Celtics went to that strategy in all four regular season games.
If opponents play non-shooters on the perimeter, the Celtics have no problem putting big men like Kristaps Porzingis on them. Having a willing shooter in McBride is important for spacing on the floor to give Knicks stars Jalen Brunson and Towns room to operate.
Having McBride on the floor has usually worked for the Knicks. In 1,593 minutes, the Knicks were a plus 7.79 points per 100 possessions with him on the floor, according to PBP Stats. Even in his disappointing 96 minutes on the floor during the first round, the Knicks outscored the Pistons by 6.1 points per 100 possessions.
The Knicks are underdogs in this series. But if McBride can re-discover his outside shooting, it can give New York a boost off the bench and will provide the club with a better chance of competing with Boston.
