Knicks-atz Haderach? How Dune 'Deuce' Brought Miles McBride to a New Level
The Bene Gesserit themselves couldn't have seen the rise of Miles McBride coming.
McBride began the year at the fringe of the New York Knicks' rotation but has since become a valuable member of the team's second unit. Regarded for his defense, "Deuce" is making strides in more noticeable areas of the box score.
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In 11 games since Feb. 25, McBride is averaging 10.5 points and 2.7 assists, partly guiding the Knicks to seven vital victories as they seek to lock up their playoff positioning. That includes the busiest relief effort in Knicks history on March 3 (playing all but 47 seconds of a win in Cleveland after a Jalen Brunson injury), a streak of five consecutive double-figure scoring games, and a career-best 29 points in Monday's win over the Golden State Warriors.
Considering the Knicks' off day on Feb. 25, it seems like an irrelevant landmark. But X user Todd Bonzalez (a.k.a. @doinkpatrol) noted that McBride has gone "absolutely crazy" since attending the New York premiere of the sci-fi marvel "Dune: Part Two" on that day at Lincoln Center.
An epic futuristic tale of sandworms and "the spice," the film is Denis Villeneuve's continuation of adapting the Frank Herbert novel "Dune" to the big screen, an endeavor begun in 2021. Timothée Chalamet, Zendaya, Rebecca Ferguson, Josh Brolin, Javier Bardem, and Stellan Skarsgård reprise their roles from the first film and are joined by Austin Butler, Florence Pugh, and Christopher Walken.
As Matthew Roberson of GQ noted, McBride has been a spice of sorts for the Knicks, who have been forced to dig into their depth amidst several injuries to their starters. Roberson documented McBride's three-point success rate at over 45 percent in the last 11 games, which earned a shoutout from movie star and celebrity Knicks superfan Ben Stiller, who referred to McBride as "so key" to the team's success.
Lauded by critics and audiences alike, the "Dune" franchise is undoubtedly set to carry on for years to come and McBride's recent stretch should do the same for his NBA career.
