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Knicks Backup Could Earn Starting Role

The New York Knicks could make a change in the starting lineup.

Jeremy Brener

Oct 15, 2024; New York, New York, USA; Charlotte Hornets guard Tre Mann (23) drives to the basket while being defended by New York Knicks guard Miles McBride (2) during the second half at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: John Jones-Imagn Images
Oct 15, 2024; New York, New York, USA; Charlotte Hornets guard Tre Mann (23) drives to the basket while being defended by New York Knicks guard Miles McBride (2) during the second half at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: John Jones-Imagn Images / John Jones-Imagn Images
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The New York Knicks still have 80 games left on the schedule, which leaves plenty of time for the team to make some changes.

For the first two games of the year, the Knicks have rolled out a starting lineup of Jalen Brunson, Mikal Bridges, OG Anunoby, Josh Hart and Karl-Anthony Towns.

However, chances are that won't stay the same all season long. Bleacher Report writer Grant Hughes believes that Miles McBride could eventually find his way into the starting lineup at some point this season.

"McBride, a 24-year-old guard who shot 41.0 percent from deep last year, won't be new to any potential role expansion. He's already proved he can ramp up his contributions when necessary," Hughes writes. "After barely playing through December of 2023, McBride found himself regularly logging 40-plus minutes for a desperately thin Knicks team in March. That may not be required of him in 2024-25 unless injuries afflict the guard rotation like they have the bigs in the early going, but McBride is still the only reliable backup on the roster. He's bound to log at least a handful of starts over the course of the year."

McBride, 24, is averaging 15 points per game so far this season and has made all but one of his seven attempts from downtown.

Having McBride's scoring off the bench gives the second unit some juice, but the Knicks may feel like that is more important to have in the starting lineup.

If McBride were to replace anyone in the starting lineup, it would likely be Hart, who has talked about the idea of him coming off the bench in the past.

However, any change to the Knicks starting lineup will likely be due to injury rather than schemes.

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Jeremy Brener
JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.

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