Miles McBride
The 2-way PG the Lakers worked out
Miles “Duece” McBride has all of the tools to warrant a 1st round pick. The Lakers worked him out yesterday with a strong group that would set up well for 3 vs. 3 scenarios.
So, who is Miles McBride?
Photo can be found in the link found here
In short, Miles McBride is a two-way combo guard with high end defensive abilities and a pull up jumpshot. Those two tools alone tend to lead to a long NBA career.
Size: Miles McBride has a height of 6’1” w/o shoes, 6’8.75” wingspan, with a standing reach of 8’3.5”. He weighs 195 lbs. with 6% body fat, with a 9” x 9.5” length by width sized hands.
Notes: While he may be considered average in terms of point guard height, he has the wingspan of shooting guards and the standing reach befitting of the point guard position. He has large hands for a guard, really close to Texas center Jericho Sims.
Shooting Numbers provided by Hoop Math
54.4% True shooting percentage
20.6% of his Field goal attempts are at the rim
60% Finishing ability at the rim
24.4% Assisted shots at the rim
48.9% of his Field goal attempts are 2-point range
37.1% 2-point field goal shooting
18.2% Assisted shots in 2-point range
30.5% of his Field goal attempts are 3-point shots
41.4% 3-point field goal shooting
.338 free throws attempted for every field goal attempt
81.3% free throw shooting
Notes: He’s a shot creator, but takes a heavy volume of shots within the mid-range area. Nearly half of his total shots are from that area, but his 18.2% assisted indicates how much he creates within that particular area. He has solid shooting indicators across the board in regards to finishing ability, enough 3-point volume, and 3-pont percentage. Considering how comfortable he is with mid-range pull up jumpers, it wouldn’t surprise me if that comfort extends to the 3-point line against NBA level contests.
Skillset: He’s a 3-level scorer, but loves to operate in the midrange. He shows heavily reliance in the step-back jumper, whether it’s the mid-range area or out to the 3-point line. While he has a capable handle in terms of changing directions, he’s more comfortable with decelerating and pulling up when he has the space, rather than changing directions while accelerating all the way to the hoop.
Here at the 2:00 mark, is his offensive staple. Attack, pull the brakes, get the space, then take the midrange shot in balance.
NBA spacing may help him get all the way to the hoop instead of pulling up from midrange, but 20.6% of total shots at the rim is at the lower end of the scale.
Personally, I love his willingness to shoot behind the arc when opponents go under screens. This helps build credible 3-point gravity.
Defensively, he’s a ball hawk. I had mentioned in previous articles about Jaden Springer and Kessler Edwards both using their chest to absorb contact in the painted area. In McBride’s case, he was so aggressive as a ball hawk, that he absorbs contact out to the 3-point line and sometimes beyond. Ball handlers get frustrated and get heated up, turning the ball over without McBride having to swipe at the basketball. Sometimes, he does this to a fault, where he’s prone to defending players too tightly and leaving open lanes backdoor.
Given his physical tools, appropriate spacing is critical next level, especially given that the NBA is officiated for little-to-no contact along the perimeter, while a lot more is forgiven in the painted area. Ball handlers try to initiate contact against him, and he doesn’t move. I truly think he can frustrate opponents from the point of attack to the wing position. He may even be out-sized defensively at wing, but does such a good job staying in front laterally and taking the contact, that they’ll be forced to shoot over him instead of getting by him. That’s a defensive win.
Unfortunately, that poor spacing reflected at the NCAA level, where he defended too tightly, too far from the rim, and that got him beat defensively. While he has tremendous lateral quickness, a ball handler getting a step is usually a tremendous advantage, no matter how laterally quick a player is. The next 6 plays are a reflection of that.
I’m unsure if there’s a defensive communication issue at West Virginia. He gets screened off, a lot, and point of attack defenders need their help defenders to be on the same page about going under, or “getting skinny” and going over the top of the screen.
Guards back up and try to get a step on him. Once they get downhill, the defensive he applies along the perimeter, just isn’t the same near the rim.
Sure, he has the ability to recover defensively and contest, or even block the shot, but this is a clear step he needs to make next level. NBA players are just too good at attacking, and defensive discipline and executing within a team defensive scheme is more important than one player’s physical tools.
Other advanced numbers via Sports Reference:
6.3% Total Rebound Percentage
9.2% Defensive Rebound Rate
28.5% Assist Rate
3.1% Steal Rate
1% Block Rate
11.1% Turnover Rate
22.9% Usage Rate
Notes: Wish he was a better rebounder considering how physically he plays on both ends of the floor. Good assist rate, especially when linked to an very low 11.1% turnover rate. Great steal rate and block rate combination, especially for his usage level. This reads like a player comfortable as a role player, making solid, non-risky decisions, and still playing aggressively on both ends of the floor.
Would like to see with NBA development:
Sure, defensive discipline is one thing and generally speaking all rookies need to make defensive adjustments. What would I like to see? I wish he was 6’7” with a 6’10” wingspan. Like other players caught in a combo guard position, he’s a wing in a smaller body. He’s already strong, so I don’t foresee him adding that much more weight. I hope he finds more slashing lanes and attacks the hoop more often. He’s comfortable playing physically on both ends of the floor, even initiating contact in the paint when he gets there, but I don’t think he saw the lanes he needed to attack. Maybe, eventually, he becomes a primary, but honestly, wing-type guards that have the ability to defend the point of attack and match the strength of bigger players are incredibly rare. These are the type of players that work best next to jumbo initiators, which brings me to…
Where does he fit?
This should be an easy answer for the Lakers. The Lakers need 2-way players that can handle their assignment and have any kind of shot credibility, whether it’s 3-point spacing, aggression to the rim in a lower usage role, or just the ability to take 3-point shots and attack closeouts well. I’m high on Jaden Springer for this very reason, and Miles McBride fits this role well too. Sure, I may see Springer as a higher upside player due to age and the belief in his ability to attack the basket with a more crafty handle next level, but McBride may even fit around guys like Talen Horton-Tucker, a combo guard himself, and a pseudo-initiator. What’s better than one combo guard? The answer is two, especially when one can handle the point of attack defensively and handle certain shooting guard and small forward assignments. That’s where Jaden Springer fits in. That’s also where Miles McBride fits in.