Knicks' Tom Thibodeau not surprised at Deuce McBride's scoring punch
Deuce McBride of the Knicks takes a shot in the first half against the Orlando Magic at Madison Square Garden on Monday, Jan. 15, 2024. Credit: Jim McIsaac
There was no doubt that the Knicks would receive a defensive boost when Deuce McBride was added to the rotation two weeks ago after the trade that sent away the team’s primary bench weapon, Immanuel Quickley.
But McBride, particularly when added to the starting lineup with Jalen Brunson sidelined the last two games, also has provided scoring punch, something that has not surprised coach Tom Thibodeau.
“I mentioned this before. Every time he’s gotten an opportunity, he’s played well, whether it was filling in for someone who was injured or whether it was in the G League,” Thibodeau said. “And he’s a great worker. He came into the league being an elite defender. Even though some people are surprised with his shooting, we’re not, because we track all our shots. He’s been one of the most accurate shooters we have. And so he takes a lot of them. He’s worked extremely hard at it. So we’re very confident in his ability. He’s prepared himself well.”
McBride entered Monday’s game shooting 47.9% from beyond the arc (23-for-48), best on the team, and was 4-for-10 against the Magic. He scored a career-high 20 points in his first Madison Square Garden start after putting up a career-high 19 in Memphis on Saturday.
“I think you first have to do it in practice and then to be able to transfer it over into games,” Thibodeau said. “But I think the one thing it does, it forces concentration. And so, usually in time, if a guy puts the work in and the concentration is there, the progress will come.
“And obviously, [he] needed an opportunity to get into the rhythm of the game. But he’s controlled all the things that you can control, whether that’s during practice, pre-practice, post-practice, coming back at night. He’s put a lot of time in. He’s one of the highest players we have in terms of tracking those shots, the volume of shots.”
Anunoby’s big minutes
OG Anunoby played 43 minutes — his most this season — and has averaged 35.2 minutes in eight games since joining the Knicks.
He said the load hasn’t affected him. “Great,” he said. “I feel good.”
Steve Popper covers the Knicks for Newsday. He has spent nearly three decades covering the Knicks and the NBA, along with just about every sports team in the New York metropolitan area.
