Knicks guard Miles McBride missed his third straight game with a left groin contusion and sat Wednesday’s game against the Los Angeles Clippers, the second leg of a back-to-back after New York’s victory over the Dallas Mavericks.
Head coach Tom Thibodeau said McBride, who was the fill-in starter for Jalen Brunson (right ankle sprain) before his own injury, is a limited participant in practice.
Thibodeau said he’s unsure when McBride’s injury took place.
“I don’t know if he aggravated it [in a March 20 matchup against the Charlotte Hornets],” he said. “It’s just, things happen.”
With both Brunson and McBride out due to injury, veteran guard Cameron Payne has elevated to starter status with rookie Tyler Kolek playing the sixth man role as the first guard off the bench.
In his last two appearances, Kolek has tallied 17 assists to zero turnovers. No rookie has ever posted 17 assists to zero turnovers since the NBA began tracking the stats 42 years ago.
“Each team is different so we saw a lot of switching, and movement without the ball created advantages,” Thibodeau said of Kolek’s play-making. “When guys are working together, it’s going to create opportunities. So we always say move it early and move it often. If you do that, you’re gonna get good-percentage shots, and if you’re taking good shots, you have a good chance to make those. So I think staying organized and working together is a big part of that.”
The Knicks also re-assigned rookie Pacome Dadiet back to the Westchester Knicks. New York selected Dadiet 25th-overall in the 2024 NBA Draft but his playing time has been minimal under Thibodeau.
“Yeah those guys are going back and forth [from the Knicks to Westchester] right now, trying to balance the time that they’re here along with getting playing time in the G League. So it’s all part of the learning and development of the young player,” Thibodeau said. “So approach each day with putting everything you have into it. Learn as much as you can. We like the G League because there’s nothing like the learning that you do by actually doing. And you learn by trial and error. So obviously if you’re not playing here, getting in those (G League) games to try to do all the things that you’re working on in practice and not to be afraid to make mistakes. I think that’s a big part of growing. and Tyler did that and he’s prepared himself well for the opportunity that he has now. All our young guys, we’d like them to do the same.”
The Knicks also re-assigned Kevin McCullar Jr. back to Westchester after the rookie made his season debut against the Mavericks on Friday. New York acquired McCullar, who went 56th overall, in a draft day deal with the Phoenix Suns, but the Kansas product’s rookie year was postponed due to a procedure on his knee that cost him nearly a year.
“It’s been rough, but I kept my head on straight,” McCullar said on Wednesday. “Everybody has been supporting me here and I’m just glad that I’m back playing now.”
“Kevin has worked extremely hard, and he’s been through a lot. His rehab was long and arduous and he’s worked his way through that,” Thibodeau added. “He started playing in the G-League and put together some good games. This is his first opportunity, and there’s an appreciation for the way he’s worked.”
FOUR-REAL?
Wednesday’s second leg of a back-to-back against the Clippers marked the conclusion of the first of four back-to-backs in the final 12 games of the regular season.
“Four?!” exclaimed Karl-Anthony Towns.
How can the starters put themselves in the best position to survive those games and be in peak shape for New York’s playoff run?
“Do our jobs at a high level, and then give ourselves a chance to make the games easier for ourselves,” said Towns. “I think that’s gonna be the most important thing. We’re coming down to the stretch. We know what we want to accomplish and nothing’s impossible, so we’ve gotta keep putting ourselves in position to win and let the league and the games play itself out.”