The Knicks’ depth continues to be tested even further, but they remain undeterred as they dig deeper into their bench.
Quentin Grimes joined Julius Randle and OG Anunoby out of the lineup with injuries Thursday night, but Miles McBride’s drastically improved outside touch was a huge factor as the Knicks pulled out their ninth straight win, 109-105 over the Pacers at the Garden.
The third-year guard shot 28.2 percent from 3-point range amid sporadic playing time over his first two NBA seasons, but McBride has seen a staggering improvement in that number at 45.6 percent in 36 appearances this season after connecting on 3 of 8 from long distance and scoring 16 points in 29 minutes against Indiana.
“Honestly, it’s all about my belief. I feel like I was taking the same shots, and now I’m just getting a little bit more of an opportunity,” said McBride, who became a rotation regular after RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickley were traded to Toronto in December. “The organization and the coaching staff continued to believe in me, and it was just about me consistently working on my shot. I put in the work and it’s showing.”
Indeed, the Knicks signed McBride to a three-year extension worth $13 million the day of the trade that imported Anunoby from the Raptors.
He’s scoring 8.8 points per game in 17 appearances since Jan. 1.
“The one thing is, he’s a gym rat. We track all the shots, and we saw last year that he’s very accurate in practice,” Tom Thibodeau said. “It didn’t really translate into the games, but he really never got extended minutes. We felt that eventually it would translate, and it has.
“He’s a very confident shooter, and he’s a little bit of everything. His defense is elite, he disrupts people, and he plays offensively with speed.”
When McBride checked out of the game in the fourth quarter, he heard loud and drawn-out calls from the Garden crowd of his nickname, Deuce.
Considering his sudden proclivity for 3-pointers, maybe that nickname should be changed to Trey.
“Honestly, it just feels like it’s in my nature. I feel like I’ve done it my whole life,” the 23-year-old McBride said. “This is the stage I’ve been dreaming of my whole life. I feel like I’m prepared for it, so it’s natural for me.”
