Knicks’ defensive woes underline ‘baller’ Miles McBride’s starting case

Brown isn’t just aware that McBride leads the team in plus-minus: he’s unsurprised by it. The coach told reporters on Friday that the numbers matched the eye test.

“He’s a baller, man. Defensively, really good getting into the ball … he helps kind of nullify our opponents’ pick-and-roll game when he’s out there, which helps a ton because the NBA is all about pick-and-roll,” the coach said of the former second-round pick. “And then, you know, he can score, he can shoot it. If you leave him open, he’s probably going to make it. If you close out too hard, he’s got a chance to blow by you. He can get to his middy or spray it. He’s a baller, it doesn’t surprise me that his net rating is high.”

Brown also credits some of McBride’s success to his understanding of their offensive scheme. Brown says the guard’s comfort level within the system has made him an effective screener. That led the coach to give him an unusual kind of “green light.”

“He’s definitely intentional with it,” Brown remarked on McBride’s screen-setting. “He does a lot of that on his own, you know? He knows what our spacing looks like, he knows when he can set up and set a screen on KAT’s guy, and, you know, like I said, he’s just got a pretty good feel of when to do it, how to do it. He’s definitely got the green light because of it.”

Should Brown try McBride with the starters?

McBride recently missed eight games with a sprained ankle, but has ironically been at his best in the four games since his return. Since getting back to action, he’s averaging 16.5 points, 3.0 rebounds, 2.0 assists, and a steal. That’s in part due to his 45.2% 3-point accuracy on about 7.8 nightly attempts, in line with his 44.5% season rate.

The organization has a developmental success story in McBride, who first flashed his elite shooting while on assignment in Westchester. Through Saturday, he’s tied with Rui Hachimura for the league’s ninth-best 3-point percentage this season. Jamal Murray is the only player ahead of the young Knick averaging more attempts per game from behind the arc. This season, McBride is on track to make over 40% of his 3-pointers. That would fittingly be the second time in five seasons he’s done so.

Mitchell Robinson and Josh Hart each provide unique advantages when on the court and have strong cases for the Knicks’ fifth starting spot alongside Jalen Brunson, Mikal Bridges, OG Anunoby, and Karl-Anthony Towns. With Robinson in and out of the lineup due to load management, Brown turned to the high-motored Hart for consistency.

With Hart set to miss at least three more games, the head coach has a chance to give McBride a try with the starters. The guard spaces the floor and would bring the physical defense needed to shift Bridges into a defensive role more concerned with wreaking havoc off of the ball.

Brown has been open to just about everything else thus far. His team has statistically been at its best with McBride on the court. Why not try leaning into the guy the coach says provides a direct pair of solutions to the team’s two most consistent shortcomings in losses?