In his rookie season, Miles McBride was whispering from beyond the arc, shooting a nasty 25% for the New York Knicks. Now? He has fans roaring his name in unison inside Madison Square Garden each time a shot goes up.
This season, the 25-year-old is shooting over 44% from three-point range, nearly a 20% increase from his rookie year. McBride hasn’t just fixed his jumper; he’s completely changed his career outlook.
McBride’s shooting potential was always there, waiting to be unlocked. Today, that potential is being fully realized. In his first 104 career games, the West Virginia alum shot 28.2% from downtown. Since then, he’s shot 38.9%, an evolution that breaks the rules of basketball as we know it.
This season, McBride is averaging:
- 11.6 points (career high)
- 43.6 FG%
- 44.4 3PT% (career high by 3.4 percentage points)
- 6.2 three-point attempts (career high)
Knicks’ Miles McBride has evolved tremendously from three
According to Basketball Index, McBride ranks among the best outside shooters in the league, a statement that would seem unimaginable a few seasons ago.
In year five, McBride earns an A+ grade in three-point shooting talent and sits in the 97th percentile in three-point efficiency. He’s also an A+ in catch-and-shoot efficiency and an A in pull-up three talent. McBride isn’t just a sharpshooter; his versatile outside shooting arsenal makes him one of the most dangerous deep threats in the NBA.
What makes this even more impressive is that he receives an F in three-point shot quality, meaning he regularly takes some of the toughest threes in the league. Despite the difficulty, he’s still knocking them down at an elite rate.
Although he’s still an average finisher and subpar mid-range scorer, the 36th overall pick in the 2021 Draft is truly one of the most dangerous three-point shooters the league has to offer.
Rookie comparison
Compared to his rookie year, the underlying data are night and day. Although the three-point shooting talent was always there, earning a B grade, the production was not. In terms of shot-making efficiency and catch-and-shoot percentage, he received an F.
Shockingly, McBride earned an A- in three-point shot quality, meaning he was taking good looks, but couldn’t convert. Compared to today, the guard takes much more challenging shots, but hits them with ease. McBride’s growth as an outside shooter has been a revelation for the Knicks. His top-tier ball screen navigation and point-of-attack defense are pivotal to New York’s system, but this was one of the improvements he needed to reach the next level.
With McBride upgraded to questionable for the Knicks’ upcoming game against the Atlanta Hawks on Dec. 27, New York’s sharpshooter is inching closer to his return after suffering an ankle sprain three weeks ago. With the emergence of Tyler Kolek, the Knicks’ guard depth is looking stronger than ever, a development that will prove key moving forward. It’s no coincidence that MSG rumbles with ‘DEUCE’ whenever McBride has his eyes on the rim and lets it fly.