Knicks point guard Miles McBride reveals big plans for offseason
Despite the New York Knicks just missing the play-in tournament, the team still has something to be proud of. And that is the contribution of their young stars at the end of the regular season.
Towards the end of 2021-22, the Knicks went on a late-season surge, headed by the young stars on the team, Immanuel Quickley and Obi Toppin. In New York’s final 10 games, Toppin averaged 20 points and Quickley averaged 17.5 points. The two led the Knicks to a 7-3 record to close out the year.
Although McBride’s points per game were nowhere near Toppin and Quickley’s, he still was a contributor to most of the team’s wins at the end of the season. In the Knicks’ win over Miami on Mar. 25, McBride was the team leader in assists with five. And in another win against the Orlando Magic on Apr. 3, he scored eight points in 11 minutes.
McBride has proven he can be an asset to the team if needed and he plans on further improving his game in the offseason.
Miles McBride is on the right track towards success with the Knicks
McBride was not given much playing time this season. Most of his time was spent playing for New York’s affiliate team, the Westchester Knicks, in the G League. But when he was given a chance by Tom Thibodeau he made sure to take advantage. Now in his first offseason as a Knick, McBride told SportsNet New York that his goal is to work on “controlling the game.”
“Controlling the game, every aspect of the game,” McBride said Saturday at the Court Of Dreams Foundation fundraiser at Horace Mann high school in the Bronx. “As a point guard, I want to be able to lead guys. Even if they’re older, they got to be able to look to me and be able to say, ‘Hey, he’s in control of this game.’”
He also mentioned tightening up his game.
“Just tightening up my game as much as I can,” McBride said. “Obviously, every aspect of your game needs to be worked on in the summer, no matter who you are, so just continuing to raise my game up.”
When a young player has this type of mindset, there is no limit on how great they can be in the league. McBride has shown his worth despite only playing in 40 games for an average of 9.3 minutes in his rookie year, and his teammates and coach have taken notice.
In December, Derrick Rose complimented him on his “top-tier defense” and a couple of months later, Thibodeau complimented McBride on his game. Rose also stated that McBride needs time to develop, which is something that McBride plans to work on during the offseason.
By McBride continuously working on improving his game, his hard work will likely pay off in the long run.
