{"id":92789,"date":"2024-08-27T14:49:36","date_gmt":"2024-08-27T18:49:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/?p=92789"},"modified":"2024-08-27T14:49:36","modified_gmt":"2024-08-27T18:49:36","slug":"young-knick-miles-mcbride-set-to-be-a-3-and-d-wing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2024\/08\/27\/young-knick-miles-mcbride-set-to-be-a-3-and-d-wing\/","title":{"rendered":"Young Knick Set To Be A 3-and-D Wing?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>The New York Knicks are poised for a strong 2024-25 season, bolstered by the additions of <a  href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/b\/bridgmi01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Mikal Bridges<\/a> and the extension of <a  href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/a\/anunoog01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">OG Anunoby.<\/a> This depth will lead to <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2024\/08\/26\/how-might-minutes-be-distributed-for-knicks-in-2024-25\/\" target=\"_self\">reduced<\/a> roles for some key contributors, including <a  href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/m\/mcbrimi01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Miles McBride<\/a>. The 23-year-old guard played 68 games last season (14 starts) and <a  href=\"https:\/\/www.nba.com\/player\/1630540\/miles-mcbride\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">averaged<\/a> 8.3 points, 1.5 rebounds, and 1.7 assists. Despite improved shooting efficiency, McBride&#8217;s role may diminish due to the arrivals of <a  href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/p\/payneca01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Cameron Payne<\/a> and <a  href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/k\/kolekty01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Tyler Kolek<\/a>, who are <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2024\/08\/22\/knicks-tom-thibodeau-true-thoughts-rookie-tyler-kolek-revealed\/\" target=\"_self\">better<\/a> suited for <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2024\/07\/20\/knicks-backup-point-guard-depth-shines\/\" target=\"_self\">playmaking<\/a> duties. The Knicks envision McBride transitioning to a wing position, leveraging his strengths in spot-shooting and defensive prowess.<\/p>\n<h2>Young Knick Set To Be A 3-and-D Wing?<\/h2>\n<p>According to <a  href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/author\/fred-katz-and-shams-charania\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Fred Katz<\/a> of The Athletic, the Knicks value McBride off the bench as a wing player, utilizing his half-court offense expertise and defensive skills against smaller guards. McBride&#8217;s adaptability and skillset will prove invaluable as the Knicks manage player minutes for postseason success. With a deep roster, the team aims to keep starters healthy, and McBride remains essential to this strategy.<\/p>\n<h3>The Case for McBride as a 3-and-D Wing<\/h3>\n<p>McBride&#8217;s skillset aligns perfectly with the coveted three-and-D wing archetype. McBride&#8217;s <a  href=\"https:\/\/www.nba.com\/player\/1630540\/miles-mcbride\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">41.0<\/a>% three-point shooting demonstrates his reliability as a marksman. McBride can feature as a point-of-attack defender or a wing disruptor. The defensive adjustments from <a  href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/coaches\/thiboto99c.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Tom Thibodeau<\/a> will determine his role. These defensive metrics show that no matter the assignment, he will be a factor on that end. McBride had a 116.1 <a  href=\"https:\/\/www.statmuse.com\/nba\/ask?q=miles+mcbride+defensive+rating+2023-24\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Defensive Rating<\/a> and 1.9 steal percentage last season.<\/p>\n<p>McBride can guard multiple positions and play both wing spots, offering lineup flexibility. This will be handy for Thibodeau when he goes to his <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2024\/08\/07\/the-new-york-knicks-have-the-best-bench-in-the-nba\/\" target=\"_self\">bench<\/a>. With a bench consisting of <a  href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/a\/achiupr01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Precious Achiuwa<\/a>, <a  href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/h\/hartjo01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Josh Hart<\/a>, and <a  href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/d\/divindo01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Donte DiVincenzo<\/a>, this flexibility will be especially important as the Knicks try to win as many games as possible to finish as the first seed.<\/p>\n<p>His 57.2 effective field goal percentage and 59.0 true shooting percentage <a  href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/m\/mcbrimi01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">showcase<\/a> efficient scoring. These statistics show why he is so important to the front office and Thibodeau. There is room for growth. At 23, McBride can develop his playmaking and rebounding.<\/p>\n<p>As McBride embraces his new role, he will have opportunities to grow alongside talented teammates. Bridges&#8217; scoring prowess and Anunoby&#8217;s defensive expertise will create a formidable wing duo. McBride&#8217;s shooting and defensive skills will complement them perfectly.<\/p>\n<h3>The Last Word<\/h3>\n<p>McBride&#8217;s transition to wing positions him for success. His shooting, defense, and versatility make him an ideal three-and-D wing. As the Knicks navigate their revamped roster, McBride&#8217;s adaptability and skillset will prove invaluable. With continued development, McBride can become a key contributor, providing perimeter shooting, tenacious defense, and lineup flexibility. The Knicks&#8217; vision for McBride as a wing is a strategic move, unlocking his potential and strengthening their roster. As the season unfolds, expect McBride to thrive in his new role, solidifying his position as a valuable player in the NBA. His growth will be crucial to the Knicks&#8217; postseason aspirations, and his dedication will make him a fan favorite in the Garden. The future looks bright for McBride and the New York Knicks.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The New York Knicks are poised for a strong 2024-25 season, bolstered by the additions of Mikal Bridges and the extension of OG Anunoby. This depth will lead to reduced roles for some key contributors, including Miles McBride. The 23-year-old guard played 68 games last season (14 starts) and averaged 8.3 points, 1.5 rebounds, and [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5018,"featured_media":92822,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1608,62,12],"tags":[4945,49375,380,1553,49489,1004,1484,4389,1082,3148,215,46255],"class_list":["post-92789","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-basketball","category-nba","category-knicks","tag-2023-2024-season","tag-2025-nba-draft","tag-cameron-payne","tag-donte-divincenzo","tag-fred-katz","tag-josh-hart","tag-mikal-bridges","tag-miles-mcbride","tag-og-anunoby","tag-precious-achiuwa","tag-tom-thibodeau","tag-tyler-kolek"],"modified_by":"Kenny Kluska","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/92789","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5018"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=92789"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/92789\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/92822"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=92789"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=92789"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=92789"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}