Second-year Knicks guard Miles McBride is hoping that his solid defense will earn him regular rotation minutes, per Steve Popper of Newsday.
Popper notes that McBride is trying to make an instant impact to prove his mettle as a contributor, seizing upon every preseason opportunity to showcase his abilities on the defensive end of the floor. To wit, he recorded six steals in under 23 minutes during New York’s first preseason game Tuesday.
“I always want to bring a defensive presence first,” McBride said. “I feel like that gets my offense going… [Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau] controls the minutes… And I’m obviously going to do anything I can to get on the floor and make a great impression.”
There’s more out of the Atlantic Division:
- Third-year Raptors reserve point guard Malachi Flynn had a “procedure” to repair a left cheekbone fracture he incurred during a weekend preseason game, reports Michael Grange of Sportsnet. Grange adds that Flynn should be back with Toronto ahead of the team’s regular season opener, albeit while donning a face shield.
- Nets head coach Steve Nash asserts that newly re-signed Brooklyn center Nic Claxton has evolved in the way he develops his game, writes Ethan Sears of The New York Post. “His attention to detail, his consistency, I think you see the benefits,” Nash said. “It feels like he can play longer stretches at high intensity. He’s a little stronger, more physical in traffic. We’re just gonna keep growing his understanding of the game and situational awareness.”
- Following an isolation-heavy few years with All-Stars Kyrie Irving, James Harden, and Kevin Durant at the helm, the Nets are now focusing on a more pass-happy approach to their offense, Brian Lewis of The New York Post reports. “You look at some of our possessions last year, it was a lot of one-on-one,” Irving said. “You guys [reporters] talked about it often and we were well aware of it that that offense when the ball sticks it’s just not the greatest brand of basketball you can play.”
Nets are about to revolutionize the league with this idea that maybe passing = good
I like McBride. It’s too bad the Knicks have about 4 point guards ahead of him
Same with Grimes really solid combo guard but stuck under a bunch of other guys.
Grimes is a pure shooting guard, not a combo guard. The closet to a combo guard on the Knicks is Quickley.
The Ignite/Met game was insane. The French side featured a player with the best name ever – Steeve Ho You Fat.
Nets are delusional .. …. they suxx
Randle, Quickley, even Grimes could be moved. Knicks still can pull off a nice trade. I believe they will in first half.
Brunson looked good. Knicks looked more locked in. Brunson with a good start.