Throughout the first two seasons of his career, Deuce McBride was mainly an afterthought, playing the role of third string, and sometimes even fourth string, point guard for a Knicks team that had plenty of options at the one.
Between Kemba Walker, Derrick Rose, Immanuel Quickley, and eventually Jalen Brunson, there was no shortage of depth at the position. But that didn’t stop fans from wanting to see McBride get minutes.
He was a standout college player who was known as a great defender with offensive potential. His athleticism, instincts, and effort had scouts strongly believing that his tenacious NBA-ready defense would translate wonderfully under coach Tom Thibodeau.