2 Studs and 3 Duds from Knicks' embarrassing loss to Celtics in season opener

Miles McBride was a stud

As the Boston Celtics were pulling away early in the game, the only player for the New York Knicks keeping them afloat was Miles McBride, who came in off the bench and immediately started hitting shots. In all, McBride scored 22 points on 8-for-10 shooting from the field and 4-for-5 shooting from deep. His teammates played like Knicks, while McBride played like a Celtic.

McBride is in store for a much larger role this season as the Knicks' depth has been significantly eroded. He plays with a lot of confidence and had something of a coming out party in the playoffs last season, and this year he may be in line for an even larger role if he continues to shoot like that.

OG Anunoby was a dud

The Knicks gave up a lot of draft capital to add Mikal Bridges, but they gave up plenty of value (in players this time rather than picks) and then signed him to a lucrative new contract. They clearly value his defensive versatility and his perimeter shooting, but neither was on display on Tuesday night.

Anunoby was lost on defense, often making rotations late or providing little resistance to Celtics drivers. He had neither a steal nor a block, and a player who was supposed to revolutionize the Knicks' defense was instead a weak link against the Celtics.

The real problem is that Anunoby wasn't just bad on defense but he was bad on offense. Anunoby shot only 1-for-7 from field, missing all four of his 3-point attempts and scoring only four points. He was -21 on the night and this was the case of the stats matching the eye test. He was bad, and the Knicks suffered because of it.