Knicks' Worst Miles McBride Fears Coming True Early in Playoffs

Knicks guard Miles McBride reacts on the court. | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

One of the clear early negatives for the Knicks this postseason is the play of their bench. While Mitchell Robinson is making a positive impact, the same can't be said for the others from the second unit against Atlanta thus far.

The disappointment rings especially true for guard Miles McBride. His clear step forward as a scorer this season put New York in a better place for the playoffs, as they had a true weapon among the reserves expected to help carry the load in the challenging postseason environment.

Yet, two games in, McBride has gone from sixth man to borderline unplayable, which creates concerns given New York's championship aspirations.

Miles McBride's playoff struggles could doom Knicks if he doesn't bounce back

There were some warning signs when it came to McBride that followed him into these playoffs.

First, off he missed 28 games during the 2026 part of the campaign due to core muscle surgery. This put him way behind in terms of postseason ramp-up, as his teammates got comfortable in a dynamic without him while making their push for a top seed.

Though it was positive that he returned before the end of the regular season, McBride's rust was apparent. He scored just 19 points in his first five games back while shooting a dismal 22.2% from the field and 28.6% from deep.

While the guard got back on track in the finale against Charlotte with 21 points and 8-of-15 shooting, he didn't play with any of the starters (besides Mikal Bridges, who suited up for less than a minute). That was also a game the Hornets only needed to stay in cruise control given New York's lack of firepower, so it wasn't the most rewarding test for McBride.

There's also the fact McBride admitted right after that matchup that he still had some lingering pain from his surgery. While some thought his Charlotte performance was a sign he was good to go, these comments made it clear that he might not be entering the playoffs at 100%.

"The minutes that those guys give us are huge and very impactful and we need that throughout the playoffs"

Josh Hart talks about the impact of Jordan Clarkson and Deuce McBride off the Knicks' bench: pic.twitter.com/rTmgRnj4oO

— Knicks Videos (@sny_knicks) April 19, 2026

Even despite extra time off, the Knicks now are left with a player who seems like a shell of himself. In Game 1, he went 2-of-6 for six points (along with an uncharacteristic four fouls, tying his regular season high) and Mike Brown only played him 21 minutes, a clear reduction from the 26.3 he averaged during the campaign.

In Game 2, the wheels completely fell off, with McBride going 0-of-3 while committing two turnovers. Brown clearly felt the team was better without McBride on the court, as he logged just 13 minutes in the loss.

Now with the series tied 1-1, the situation with McBride is bleak. This is supposed to be their most involved bench piece, yet they can't trust him to help on the biggest stage. There's a clear need for scoring help when the starters sit to maintain leads since the Hawks can put up points in a hurry, yet their best second-unit scorer can't get going.

The team may have anticipated McBride not operating on every cylinder, even though he had some time to settle in once back in the lineup. But him becoming a zero on offense and even liability throws off any plans that involved him being a factor, which the staff had banked on after he got some run in post-injury.

Sure, Brown and his staff can pivot. They did so in Game 2 with Jose Alvarado joining the mix while McBride and Landry Shamet both saw their time cut from the opener. But Alvarado didn't help with the lacking offense (0-of-3, zero point in eight minutes), and it's not likely the next-man-up options Tyler Kolek (4.4 PPG) or Mohamed Diawara (3.6 PPG) would fill what's missing with McBride's slump.

That puts New York between a rock and a hard place. The team can't afford for McBride to be figuring things out in the middle of a tightly contested series, but it also needs him if they're going to survive the long war that is the postseason.

Maybe the break between Game 2 and 3 will do McBride some good as he's afforded a bit of a reset. But this is an undeniable headache for the Knicks that could jeopardize their playoff potential if their top bench player isn't capable of hitting the level they were expecting.