Knicks Get Major Injury Update on Two Key Players

The New York Knicks have been without some major firepower within the backcourt as of late.

Taking Jalen Brunson's extended absence out of the equation, the Knicks have been without the services of both Miles McBride and Cameron Payne for a bit of time now. McBride has been out of the fold for seven games as he deals with a groin injury, while Payne has sat on the sidelines for four straight due to an ankle sprain.

However, according to head coach Tom Thibodeau, the return for both guards could be sitting right around the corner.

“Deuce and Cam should be any day,” Thibodeau said after the Knicks' Wednesday loss vs. the Cleveland Cavaliers.

The return for both comes at an appealing time for the Knicks, as both guards will have a handful of games across the next two weeks to get re-adjusted back into the lineup before the postseason approaches later this month.

In McBride's 59 games this season, he's averaged a career-high 9.4 points, 2.5 rebounds, and 2.9 assists on 40.7% shooting from the field. As for Payne, he's contributed 7.0 points, 1.5 rebounds, and 2.7 assists a night in his 66 games on the floor.

Across the 2024-25 campaign, the Knicks have had several lingering questions around their depth and how stable they can be as a deep unit come playoff time, so having all hands on deck with a healthy lineup down the rotation will be critical for this Knicks team in the weeks leading into the postseason.

Of course, getting McBride and Payne to factor into that mix will be a massive boost for that aspired goal.

The Knicks will have six more games to go in their regular-season campaign. It remains to be seen exactly when these two will gear up for a return, and the same status remains for Brunson's reactivation. But at the bare minimum, it seems the arrow is trending up at a better time than never.