Knicks’ breakout shooting guard undergoes offseason foot surgery

New York Knicks shooting guard Miles McBride successfully had surgery on the fifth toe in his right foot this week.

The Knicks broke the news on their official X account (formerly known as Twitter) on Thursday morning:

Knicks are looking forward to a healthy Miles McBride building off of career year in 2023-24

The good news is, McBride likely won’t miss time to begin the 2024-25 season. NBA training camps begin on Oct. 3. Next season commences later that month on Oct. 24. The Knicks will likely play on opening night, which they’ll need McBride for.

“Deuce” McBride bursted onto the scene in 2023-24. The 6-2 ball-stopper made the most of his 19.5 minutes per game and blossomed into more than just a lockdown defender. The West Virginia product turned his substandard 29.9 percent clip from three-point range in 2022-23 into an elite 41 percent connect rate last season. He also scored efficiently on all of his attempts from the floor, finishing with a career-high 45.2 percent field goal percentage.

The 23-year-old found favor in Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau’s eyes and took his game to another level on the previous campaign. He was one of several key Knicks contributors that got banged up over the course of the regular season and playoffs. His operation is encouraging in that his foot injury got addressed and as a result, won’t jeopardize his season outlook.

How does McBride fit in on the Knicks after the Mikal Bridges trade

With New York having just traded for star guard/forward Mikal Bridges and resigned star forward OG Anunoby, the likelihood is that the Knicks will roll with a starting lineup of Jalen Brunson, Bridges, Anunoby, Julius Randle and whichever center between Isaiah Hartenstein, Mitchell Robinson and Jericho Sims they retain by the end of this summer.

McBride will be instrumental coming off of the Knicks’ bench next to teammates like Donte DiVincenzo and Josh Hart. Seeing that his shooting and confidence scoring the basketball soared last season, there’s no telling if McBride will be ready to embrace more of a distributing role behind Brunson — an area the Knicks have great need of at the present. The Knicks and their fanbase are banking on McBride making a full recovery without any setbacks. The last thing the Knicks need is another wave of ailments to deter them from making a Finals run next year.