The New York Knicks' newest coaching hire Mike Brown is entering a pressure-filled, do-or-die debut season with the franchise, and he'll soon be saddled with creating the top-heavy group's starting lineup for the 2025-26 campaign.
While the decision could be viewed as obvious, Brown's choice may have been heavily affected by New York's convincing 99-84 preseason victory over the Philadelphia 76ers on Thursday. Specifically, one of the Knicks' most consistent bench pieces made a real case for an increased role.
New York's former No. 36 overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft Miles McBride starred throughout the dominant win over the 76ers, finishing with 12 points, five rebounds and two assists in just 21 minutes of action.
McBride's effort certainly could have turned heads within Brown's coaching staff, and one NBA writer has suggested that the 25-year-old guard should immediately be named the team's starting shooting guard next to 2-time All-NBA Team selection point guard Jalen Brunson. As a result, their rebounding center Mitchell Robinson would hypothetically be pushed to the bench.
"One of the most hotly debated topics surrounding the Knicks has been who their fifth starter will be this season," FanSided's Atticus O'Brien-Pappalardo wrote Thursday.
"Mike Brown gave a strong indication that it will be Mitchell Robinson by starting him alongside Karl-Anthony Towns in their first pre-season game. However, Miles McBride needed just six minutes to prove that spot should unquestionably go to him."
Follow The Sporting News on WhatsApp
"Brown has also made it clear that he wants the Knicks' offense to play faster and to shoot more threes. Inserting McBride into the starting lineup would accomplish both of those things."
If the Knicks were to truly put an added emphasis on their pace and three-point shooting volume, McBride's potential insertion into the starting lineup could be a fine idea.
The glaring issue with a possible Brunson-McBride backcourt is a notable lack of size, as both players are listed at 6-foot-2 and 6-foot-1 by the NBA, respectively.
While it appears that McBride might not be the most impactful defender thanks to his stature, his net-positive career 0.6 defensive box plus-minus figure and 1.0-steal average from the 2024-25 season tells an entirely different story. His defensive production, in tandem with an impressive 38.5% three-point shooting clip over the past two seasons adds to McBride's compelling case.
Whether Brown is willing to experiment with the Knicks' starting lineup to this degree as the team gets set to begin a championship-or-bust year remains to be seen, but McBride can continue to earn favor from his new coach throughout the rest of training camp.
More NBA: NBA insider responds to LeBron James to Warriors question amid trade rumors