So much was made about the new additions to the Knicks bench. But it was the returnees who made the biggest impact.
Miles McBride, Landry Shamet and Tyler Kolek were pivotal to the Knicks’ season-opening 119-111 win over the Cavaliers on Wednesday night at Madison Square Garden. McBride in particular was a significant difference-maker, scoring 15 points and going 4-for-6 from 3-point range.
And those 3s came at critical moments. After a 16-2 Cavaliers run in the second quarter brought them within one point, McBride drilled a 3-pointer to wrangle momentum right back, sparking a 19-3 run for the Knicks.
Later, not long after the Cavaliers had taken the lead to start the fourth quarter, McBride made another 3 that gave the Knicks a six-point lead, part of their 14-0 run that put them in the driver’s seat the rest of the way.
“Just staying patient, trusting in my shot, my teammates,” McBride said of his big moments. “Honestly, in the flow of the game you kind of get lost and you find yourself open and you want to knock it down.”
He seems to keep getting better and better each year, and coach Mike Brown’s new system could help him grow exponentially. Brown places an emphasis on pace, and McBride is the Knicks’ fastest player who most prefers to play with speed.
In Wednesday’s win, he had an average speed of 4.84 miles per hour, according to the NBA’s tracking stats, the highest on the team.
A former second-round pick, there is no questioning McBride’s importance to the rotation.
He was part of the Knicks’ crunch-time lineup Wednesday, on the floor with Jalen Brunson, Mikal Bridges, OG Anunoby and Karl-Anthony Towns for much of the fourth quarter. That lineup played seven minutes together on Wednesday — second most to the starting lineup (Ariel Hukporti in place of McBride) — and was stellar, with a 35.3 net rating.
For his own part, McBride was a team-best plus-17.
“I think the best thing about him is, when he wasn’t playing that much [earlier in his career], he was still in the gym every day,” Brunson said. “He was doing everything he had to do. Once the trade [sending R.J. Barrett and Immanuel Quickley to the Raptors in 2023] happened, he got an extension and he started playing, he fit right in because he was ready. He was working, he was working, he was working and he was ready.
“That’s a testament to him and what he’s been about since I’ve seen him. He’s a hard worker and he’s always gonna be ready when his number is called. If it’s an off night, he comes back better the next night. That’s just who he is.”
McBride will also be key to another part of Brown’s vision.
The new Knicks coach will at times want to go small and have four or five capable 3-point shooters around the perimeter to spread opposing defenses out. Tom Thibodeau was largely hesitant to do that, almost always having non-shooters in Josh Hart or Mitchell Robinson on the floor.
Brown’s previous teams almost always ranked near the top of the league in 3-point attempts, and that’s where he wants the Knicks.
The Knicks took 40 of them Wednesday. Last year, they averaged 34.1 per game, fourth least in the NBA.
“I think we can generate even more,” Brown said, “because we have that many players, in my opinion, that are capable of shooting the ball.”
Shamet and Kolek contributed six of those 3-point attempts, making three.
Brown’s use of an 11-man rotation was perhaps the most dramatic change from the Thibodeau era.
With Malcolm Brogdon’s sudden retirement, Kolek is the only true point guard on the roster to serve as Brunson’s backup. Shamet provides valuable 3-and-D ability.
And the bench should only get better once Hart is healthy. Newcomers Guerschon Yabusele and Jordan Clarkson were quiet Wednesday and should have plenty more to offer. The Knicks’ bench outscored the Cavaliers’ 35-30.
Depth was almost nonexistent under Thibodeau. Now, it is a legitimate advantage.
“I feel like we have a lot of talent, so I like our bench that comes in better than a lot of other benches,” Bridges said. “So come in, put pressure, make [their] guys guard them. Everybody comes in fresh, different looks defensively, different looks offensively. It’s great. Like I said, everybody, even guys that didn’t get in the game, you know can come in right away and affect the game at any time.”
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