Miles McBride didn’t rush back from injury too soon. But he may have returned for the wrong game. And now, the Knicks could once again be without one of the most important pieces in their playoff push.
McBride, making a hustle play midway through the third quarter of Tuesday’s loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder, grabbed at the same area that required surgery just two months ago before exiting the game for good.
It was a routine basketball play—but maybe not the kind for someone so recently removed from surgery. And maybe not the kind of environment he should have been reintroduced into.
Because Sunday night in Oklahoma City felt like a potential NBA Finals preview, the Knicks as championship hopefuls against the defending champion Thunder. And McBride made a winning play. The kind that defines his game.
It may also end up costing both him and the Knicks dearly.
“I haven’t talked to medical yet, so I don’t know how it is, but it’s tough,” head coach Mike Brown said after the game. “[Deuce has] worked his tail off to be back.”
With 5:21 remaining in the third quarter, McBride and Oklahoma City’s Luguentz Dort chased down a loose ball. Dort dove to secure it. McBride followed, diving onto Dort in an effort to secure possession.
Then he reached for his midsection.
McBride underwent surgery to repair a sports hernia after suffering the injury on Jan. 27 against the Sacramento Kings. The procedure typically addresses damage to the tendons in the lower core—the same area McBride immediately grabbed.
It was a gutting moment for a Knicks team that had just welcomed its sixth man back following a 28-game, two-month absence. McBride played just under 11 minutes in his return. He did not score, but the energy he brought on both ends was noticeable.
And just like that, it was gone.
McBride remained on the floor for several moments before trainers helped him to his feet. He walked slowly to the bench, sat briefly, then headed to the locker room. He did not return. Brown didn’t have answers after the game, either.
“He didn’t make a shot the first half, but he gave us a lift,” Brown said. “You felt his presence, and he made us deeper. And because of the foul trouble that we had, we were a little shorthanded in that second half. That’s part of the reason they pulled away too.
“I haven’t spoken to medical. I don’t know. I haven’t talked to anybody on [Deuce], yet.”
It’s fair to assume McBride could miss time following the scare. How much remains unclear, but the optics were concerning for a player whose game is built on physicality, effort and toughness.
Before the injury, McBride was in the midst of a breakout season in Brown’s system, averaging career highs of 12.9 points and 42% shooting from three-point range. Now there’s a possibility he could be back in rehab—and, quite frankly, for as long as it takes to ensure a full recovery.
Because if McBride isn’t right, stepping back onto the floor isn’t worth the risk. He signed a three-year, $13 million extension and has one year remaining before hitting unrestricted free agency. McBride has developed into a starting-caliber guard capable of commanding a significantly larger deal, but only if he stays healthy.
Right now, that health is a big concern.
The good news is New York went 20-8 while their backup guard rehabbed from surgery. The bad news: His return was expected to stabilize a rotation that has been pieced together in his absence. He now joins Landry Shamet on the injury report. Shamet has been sidelined with a knee injury since March 20 and did not participate in practice on Saturday.
The Knicks acquired Jose Alvarado from the New Orleans Pelicans shortly after McBride’s injury in late January, but his offensive production has fluctuated. After an efficient start —including an 8-of-13 performance from three on Feb. 11— Alvarado hit a prolonged slump, missing 29 of his next 34 attempts from deep. He has since begun to recover, hitting eight of his last 17 attempts and going 2-of-4 from three against Oklahoma City on Sunday.
Brown has also returned to Jordan Clarkson minutes to stabilize the second unit in McBride’s absence, but the options, particularly combined with Shamet’s absence, feel like a bandage.
And now, the Knicks are once again left waiting, hoping the cost of one winning play isn’t far greater than it seemed in the moment.