There’s been a lot of talk about the New York Knicks’ lack of depth following their sensational offseason trades for Karl-Anthony Towns and Mikal Bridges. What was once a strength of the team has become a major weakness, though a key piece of the bench remains Miles McBride. McBride continues to thrive as the Knicks’ sixth man, most recently scoring 18 points off the bench in their 121-106 NBA Cup win over the Orlando Magic on Tuesday night.
When McBride entered the league as the 36th overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft, there wasn’t much buzz surrounding him, even after the Knicks acquired the draft rights to him. But fast-forward to the fourth season of his career, and he’s one of the most important players for a team with championship aspirations, earning the love of a passionate fan base that has taken to chanting “Deuce” at him every time he lets off a shot.
McBride continues to be a cult hero among Knicks fans, and all the 24-year-old guard can do is bask in the adoration.
“It feels like it came out of nowhere. It just started and I don’t think it’s ever going to end… I feel like the first day I got to New York, I saw someone walking around with my West Virginia jersey. I feel like I got a lot of love as a rookie, but obviously I wasn’t playing that much. The love just kept growing the more I played and the more we won,” McBride said, via Knicks Muse on X.