The New York Knicks appear to be solving issues at guard on all levels of the depth chart.
Among the starters, Jalen Brunson has flourished at the one and is fulfilling every expectation that was bestowed upon him when he inked a four-year, $104 million contract with the team. Quentin Grimes has effectively taken over shooting guard duties while their top spell option Immanuel Quickley has reportedly made himself immovable.
Most of the Knicks bench appears to be expendable: Grimes, for example, succeeded both Evan Fournier and Cam Reddish in his starting spot and it feels like it's only a matter of time before each is moved. Derrick Rose is in a similar boat, and the Knicks reportedly seek to "do right" when it comes to dealing the former MVP off.
That leaves potential uncertainty surrounding Miles McBride, a second-year Knick who has been a fleeting, if not routine, prescience on metropolitan hardwood. The second-round pick from 2021 has appeared in each of the last 22 games, averaging just over 17 minutes in that span and drawing praise for his defensive work. Like Quickley before him, McBride has apparently impressed well enough to keep himself away from the negotiating table.
"Front offices in contact with the Knicks say that New York has expressed it does not want to move the 22-year-old," intel from Fred Katz of The Athletic declares. "The Knicks are high on his defensive ability, energy, and work ethic."
While the Knicks often shrink their lineup to the starting five and Quickley in the late stages, McBride has made himself a rotational staple thanks to his defense. His offensive efforts ... or lack thereof, considering he hasn't scored in four straight games ... have left much to be desired, he has played a large role in the team's recent success on defense.
Head coach Tom Thibodeau, for example, labeled McBride's defensive union with Grimes "outstanding" when the two helped hold the Houston Rockets to 88 points in a win that closed out the last calendar year.
“I thought the defense of (McBride) and Quentin was outstanding," Thibodeau said, per the New York Post. "Those guys, they can impact the game greatly with their defense and they usually do.”
Some perhaps felt that McBride could face a change of address thanks to his recent outputs, as he's played less than 10 minutes per game in each of the last four (including only six in Monday's overtime loss to Toronto). But McBride, who spent his rookie time on and off the G League ledger, appears to slowly be forming a lasting spot in the New York rotation, one that's set to come up big as the Knicks try to continue to build space between themselves and Eastern Conference Play-In Tournament territory.
McBride and the Knicks (25-20) return to action on Wednesday night when they take on the Washington Wizards at Madison Square Garden (7:30 p.m. ET, MSG).
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