McBride shared new details about the surgery that slowed him down during the title run, and he says he finally feels like himself again.
Guard Miles McBride played through a lot more than most fans knew during the New York Knicks run to a championship.
After the second day of training camp in Tarrytown on Wednesday, he talked openly about the core muscle surgery he had in February and how much it held him back once the games got bigger.
McBride said the procedure was more complex than the simple medical term of a sports hernia.
He explained that doctors worked on his hip flexor, his abdomen and his groin, and that they had to do it on both sides of his body.
Playing Through It in the Finals
The surgery affected everything he did on the court, and he felt it most when the competition got tougher in June.
"Everything you do is in that core section, that groin section," McBride said after practice. "So trying to keep up with those young guys in the Finals, it was tough."
The numbers back that up.
McBride played in all 19 playoff games and had a 25-point night in the Game 4 closeout of the second-round sweep of Philadelphia, but he scored just 11 points total across the five Finals games against the Spurs.
The Knicks still won that series 4-1, and McBride deserves credit for staying on the floor when his body was not right.
His regular season was a rough ride too.
He suffered a high ankle sprain on Dec. 7 against Orlando that cost him eight games, then sat out 28 straight games from late January through March, including his recovery from surgery, before returning on March 29 against Oklahoma City.
He still finished with 12.0 points per game and shot 41.3% from three in 41 games, which shows how good he was when healthy.
Why This Season Is So Big for McBride
McBride said that having a full summer to recover has him back to fully healthy, and he can move the way he wants to again.
That is great news for a Knicks team that is trying to defend its title, because a healthy McBride gives them a shooter and defender off the bench who can change games.
It also comes at a big moment for his future.
McBride is in the final year of his contract, making $3,956,523 this season, and he can sign an extension any time through June 30, 2027.
If nothing gets done, he would become an unrestricted free agent next summer.
He has said he wants to stay with the Knicks, and head coach Mike Brown said the feeling is shared on the team's side.
What Comes Next
The Knicks have a big decision to make with McBride, and a strong, healthy start would make that choice a lot easier.
Point guard Jalen Brunson and the rest of the group have already moved on from the celebration, and McBride looks ready to do the same.
New York opens the preseason on Monday, Oct. 5, at Philadelphia, then starts the regular season at home against the 76ers on Tuesday, Oct. 20.
McBride gave the Knicks everything he had while hurt, and now the team gets to see what he can do at full strength.
