New York Knicks forward Josh Hart praises teammate Deuce McBride's shooting improvement
The New York Knicks have no shortage of offensive weapons in their arsenal. With Jalen Brunson, who's having a career year, backed up by players like Karl Anthony-Towns and Mikal Bridges, it's no surprise that the Knicks have been able to power their way to a 14-7 record and first-place spot in the Atlantic Division.
The Knicks have seen the emergence of another elite offensive player on their roster, even in their starting five: Miles "Deuce" McBride.
While McBride was never a bad shooter, per se, his performance from three has historically been lacking, especially for a shooting guard. He boasts a career 37% three-point percentage. However, this season he's turned it up a notch and is shooting a stellar 44% from three, the best on the team with the third-most three-point attempts per game.
New York Knicks guard Miles McBride (2) attempts a three pointer during the first half against the Washington Wizards at Madison Square Garden. Lucas Boland-Imagn ImagesMcBride Fixed His Shot
The biggest change in McBride's game has been his shot itself. While his mechanics were wonky in the past, this season he has a clean, smooth shot that's clearly paid off. The change in his shot has been as dramatic as it's been impressive, and the change has been especially surprising to his teammate Josh Hart.
"It was broke," Hart said of McBride's jump shot in the past.
Since then, McBride has made the effort to polish his mechanics and make an impactful change. McBride's three-point percentage is so stellar that he's actually in the top 20 of three-point shooters in the NBA when it comes to efficiency, and he's ahead of players like Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Nikola Jokić, and Anthony Edwards.
McBride and His Confidence
When it comes to shooting, it's not only mechanics that go into it, but confidence as well. Having a great shot is great, but it doesn't do much if you aren't willing to use it or you second-guess yourself as you release the ball.
That's been the other big improvement for McBride.
New York Knicks guard Miles McBride (2) reacts after making a three point basket during the second half against the Milwaukee Bucks at Madison Square Garden. Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images"He was working. You got to give him credit," Hard said. "He stayed in the gym, made improvements. Now he's extremely confident."
McBride is in his fifth NBA season and is still just 25 years old. This season has been a major step up for him as an offensive threat, and it seems that he's still only at his floor with his ceiling still yet to come.
Still, as talented as McBride is and as far as he still has to go, his explosion as a three-point shooter has still proven shocking to his teammates.
When Hart was asked if he saw this coming from McBride?
"Nah, I didn't."