The Knicks have big plans for the young sharpshooter to replace Donte DiVincenzo

The New York Knicks solved several puzzles they faced heading into the 2024-2025 NBA season in their recent, eye-catching trade for star center Karl-Anthony Towns, and one of them was the difficult situation with breakout sharpshooter Miles McBride.

There were two main concerns for the Knicks this offseason, with a case of overcrowding on their depth chart creating uncertainty about their season prospects. It was recently revealed that former Knicks center Mitchell Robinson would not be ready for the start of the upcoming season until December or January, dealing a crushing blow to their thin frontcourt center.

New York also considered how former franchise player and star Julius Randle would fit into their new-look team, as well as creating an embarrassment of riches in the second-team backcourt with Donte DiVincenzo, Miles McBride, Cam Payne and 2024 No. 34 overall pick Tyler Kolek on board.

Knicks: Miles McBride will play a bigger role after big Karl-Anthony Towns trade

The city trade took care of everything. The Knicks acquired a top-notch center and dealt Randle and DiVincenzo in return, freeing up space for a seemingly oddball player in McBride to do his thing next time. As a result, the Knicks now have big plans for their strong deadeye point guard for the 2024-25 season.

McBride showed incredible growth last season compared to the previous year. Most impressively, the 24-year-old increased his three-point percentage from a dismal 29.9 percent in 2022-23 to an elite 41 percent in 2023-24. McBride was a key figure for Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau after the All-Star break, especially as injuries swirled in the locker room.

The Ohio native looked like he was comfortable catching and shooting and finding his own shot while remaining active in driving lanes and as a cutter. His most valuable skill is his unbearable on-ball defense. This, combined with his standard-setting long-range shooting skills, will be a huge help next season in New York.

McBride could form a great camaraderie with Towns and the new Knicks team next season

On paper, McBride will no longer pose a threat to his playing time, as DiVincenzo was the sixth-placed prospect for the 2025 Sixth Man of the Year award, while Payne was named as the floor general behind the 2024 MVP candidate Jalen Brunson.

By assessing how he will fit in with his teammates, the West Virginia product will be set up to thrive while benefiting from Towns. The four-time All-Star is one of the best big passers in all of basketball and is very adept at drawing double teams in the mid and high post and kicking out teammates on the strong and weak side as well.

Thus, McBride can expect to remain vigilant against Towns’ bullet passes, as well as the expected volume of passes that will result from Brunson’s mid-court mastery and Payne’s rapid pace in the secondary.

Mikal Bridges and OG Anunoby will be in the All-Defensive team talks next year, while Coach Thibodeau stated that next time they will play intense full-court defense against opposing teams’ top perimeter scorers. The Knicks will be counting on the 6-2 McBride to keep the ball for New York off the bench, just as his two international defensive teammates will be in the starting lineup.

Once again, McBride will also be a valuable option to step into the starting lineup if injuries take their toll again in the upcoming season. He will be key to their attack on both sides next season and is a benefactor of time and opportunity after a monumental exchange. Now he will be able to take advantage of the opportunities.