Knicks Can't Help But Look at Miles McBride Differently After Finals

A rough NBA Finals may prove costly for Miles McBride with the Knicks. | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

In the aftermath of a title, it's a time of mostly reflecting on how the Knicks put themselves in a position to be on top of the NBA. However, the end of a long and successful playoff run also forces the team to meditate on potential problems as they turn their attention toward repeating.

One issue that stands out from this postseason is Miles McBride's dramatic fall-off, and it could have future ramifications given his unique situation moving forward.

Miles McBride's Knicks future is a question mark as Finals dust settles

There is simply no other way to cut it: this was a terrible playoff for McBride. After breaking out during the regular season with a career-high 12.0 points per game, the fifth-year guard was expected to lead a vastly improved New York second unit under the bright lights.

Instead, McBride mostly crumbled under the heightened expectations. He posted a dismal 5.6 ppg and just 107 total points all playoffs; even worse, those meager numbers are propped up by a 25-point showing in the Game 4 blowout over the 76ers. Meanwhile, McBride logged zero points in six of his 19 appearances and had six points or fewer in 14 of those 19 outings.

McBride did play good defense for most of the postseason, but even that faltered against tougher competition in the Spurs. This then left the Knicks with their top bench not only providing little on offense but becoming a liability on the other end of the court, making him a net-negative down the stretch.

That's not even to mention that McBride failed to run the offense when Jalen Brunson needed help or a break from opponents' defense hounding him. This caused Mike Brown to turn to Jose Alvarado—a DNP to begin the playoffs and mostly an afterthought to close the regular season—who ended up being a savior off the bench in a few contests.

Fellow reserve Landry Shamet also had an unquestionably huge impact on the Knicks' winning the Finals. He persevered through early struggles to eventually make a difference over the last three series.

All of this reflects incredibly poorly on McBride, who was the team's supposed top bench option ahead of the playoffs. New York needed someone off the bench to step up in nearly every single game, yet that call went unanswered by McBride more often than not.

Now, McBride might face some serious consequences as a direct result of his showing. First and foremost, he's made himself far from untouchable with this playoff run. That's notable all on its own, considering the Knicks have little flexibility for outside additions this offseason, but dangling McBride to other teams would change that.

There's also the fact that McBride is on an expiring deal now for next season. A strong postseason would've put him in line to be extended early and pushed Mitchell Robinson or Landry Shamet toward the door. Instead, New York will likely prioritize keeping those two, even if it would seal McBride's exit, given how they pitched in more to the team's title efforts.

Last but not least, McBride no longer being an essential long-term piece makes it crucial that the Knicks get a replacement this offseason to keep the bench moving in the right direction. Luckily for them, they have three picks in this year's draft to do so, including the No. 24 selection.

New York's early prospect meetings set them up to survive just fine without McBride, as both Arkansas's Meleek Thomas and Duke's Isaiah Evans have been brought in for closer looks. Each could provide McBride's scoring ability with even more potential, while coming at a discount and on a longer rookie deal.

The relief of winning the title also comes with the pressure of bigger expectations. That requires New York's front office to be realistic about which guys are going to help keep the winning going, and McBride suddenly appears less important to that goal after flailing in the postseason.