The New York Knicks are currently led by a backcourt sensation who received a discount to extend his stay in Manhattan.

Jalen Brunson was also very valuable.

The Knicks and Miles McBride close a full year to the day (December 30) when the latter signed a three-year, $13 million extension to remain on the Knicks bench. The latter had the opportunity to revisit the deal in the latest news from the New York Post’s Stefan Bondy and basked in the glory of a relatively small contract that the Knicks are no doubt grateful for with each passing day .

“There are a lot of people struggling here and I’m having fun,” McBride told Bondy. “I’m playing well. I am part of a great team. I’m beyond happy…I’m grateful because you never know what can happen in this match. I feel like I’m happy. »

To put the McBride For perspective, the defending champion Boston Celtics have sixth man Peyton Pritchard on a four-year, $30 million deal from his rookie contract extension. In league-leading Cleveland, Caris LeVert is in the final year of a two-year, $32 million contract.

McBride’s signing was so quiet that it wasn’t even the team’s biggest deal of the day, with that honor instead going to the acquisition of OG Anunoby from the Toronto Raptors. With Immanuel Quickley part of the northbound export, McBride has been tapped to be one of the top spell options for Brunson, although he has mostly worked on the fringes of New York’s rotation since arriving as a pick second round in 2021.

The gamble paid off: over the last calendar year, McBride ranks in the top 30 among all bench players in points (453), steals (41) and three-pointers (86). He was just as effective as a starter after signing, averaging 17.9 points in 14 of those performances last year.

Already well-regarded for his defense, McBride’s performance was cut short by an injury that took five games out of his early-season schedule. Cameron Payne played respectable in his absence, but head coach Tom Thibodeau couldn’t help but feel like something was missing without McBride on the court.

“He’s another guy who can shoot the ball and he can get in the paint and break it up on the dribble, and he plays extremely well with people,” praised Thibodeau in another Post report, this one from Peter Botte. “I think when he gets going defensively, he’ll be a big plus for us.”

McBride gets another chance to showcase his talents off the bench on Saturday when the Knicks take on the Detroit Pistons (7:30 p.m. ET, MSG).

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