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Miles McBride #2 of the New York Knicks reacts following a basket during the second quarter of the game against the Charlotte Hornets at Spectrum Center on November 26, 2025 in Charlotte, North Carolina.
The long wait for Knicks guard Miles McBride is over–probably. For the first time since injuring his ankle back on December 7, McBride is listed as “probable” on the team’s injury report which, according to NBA guidelines, means he has a 75% chance of getting back on the floor. McBride has so far missed eight games with the ankle sprain.
The Knicks are 16-4 when McBride plays this season, and he has averaged a career-high 11.6 points, making 43.6% of his shots from the field and 44.4% of his 3-point shots. He has been stellar for the team in the 27.0 minutes per game he has been getting.
It is not certain McBride will play, especially given the fact that there have been hints and reports about his return before this, but that he has still remained out. McBride will test the ankle in the pregame and go from there.
Miles McBride, Tyler Kolek Give Knicks Plenty of Depth
McBride’s return will bolster a Knicks bench that already looks different than when he went out three weeks ago. In McBride’s place, Tyler Kolek has been getting more minutes, and has been thriving in them. Kolek has averaged 10.3 points, 5.8 assists and 4.3 rebounds in his last six games, shooting 46.4% from the field and 36.4% from the 3-point line.
With Jordan Clarkson hitting his stride off the bench, too, the Knicks are suddenly a much deeper team than they looked to be at the beginning of the season, especially at guard. Getting a veteran backup point guard has been one of the goals most often cited for the Knicks at the NBA trade deadline, but if McBride is healthy, the team’s guard spot is plenty deep.
The Knicks do have a potential injury with Kolek, though, as he hurt his right ankle in Sunday’s win over the Hawks. He is listed as questionable on the injury report.
GettyTyler Kolek, New York Knicks
Another Knicks Bench Candidate Emerges
The Knicks might yet have another bench find, too, after giving two-way forward Kevin McCullar Jr. a look on Sunday. He responded with 13 points and eight rebounds, going 3-for-6 from the 3-point line in 24 minutes. It was the most significant action of his NBA career, and just his eighth appearance in the league.
It’s too early to say how much of a chance McCullar will get, but the team needs forward depth with Guerschon Yabusele falling out of the rotation. Coach Mike Brown said he wanted to test McCullar’s defense on Hawks star Trae Young.
“He was scheduled on my little minutes sheet to come in at the 8-minute mark of the first quarter. I was going to throw him on Trae just to see what happens,” Brown said.
“Kev’s a young, really good defender, has a great feel on both ends of the floor, but especially that end of the floor. I wanted to give him a chance. I threw him out there a few minutes and he was fantastic. So, he just earned more minutes. I didn’t have him down for that many minutes, but he definitely earned those minutes as the game went along.”
Sean Deveney is a veteran sports reporter covering the NBA, NFL and MLB for Heavy.com. He has written for Heavy since 2019 and has more than two decades of experience covering the NBA, including 17 years as the lead NBA reporter for the Sporting News. Deveney is the author of 7 nonfiction books, including “Fun City,” “Before Wrigley became Wrigley,” and “Facing Michael Jordan.” More about Sean Deveney
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