The New York Knicks have had to fight tooth and nail to gain a 3-2 series advantage over the Detroit Pistons. Despite the series lead, it doesn’t feel as though the Knicks have played their best basketball, and they are certainly not getting enough from their bench.
Knicks’ Miles McBride has struggled mightily in the playoffs
Miles McBride, in particular, has struggled throughout this first-round matchup. In the five games, he is averaging just 4.0 points on 26.9% shooting from the floor and 25% from three.
It has been a complete 180 from the productive regular season he had, and it showcases their true depth problem. Depth was an issue coming into the season for New York, but they never truly addressed it at the trade deadline and are essentially relying on McBride to carry the scoring load of the second unit.
Doing so hasn’t boded well, as with him struggling, the Knicks only have the starting five they can bank on to generate offense. Furthermore, that has also proved to be a struggle as they have had some poor shooting efforts throughout this series.
The Knicks need McBride to turn things around
“We’re gonna go look at film,” McBride said of his struggles, via Jared Schwartz of the New York Post. “Make corrections and get the job done.”
The Knicks need McBride to get going more than ever right now. The team needs the bench production in order to give the starters a much-needed breather, and they need another reliable scoring option to go to.
Game 6 on Thursday will be a big opportunity for McBride to turn around his struggles. The Knicks will look to close out the series on the road Thursday night in Detroit.