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You never wish injuries on any player, but at times they pave the way for opportunities that would not otherwise be the case. This proved to be the situation with the Philadelphia 76ers and few players have capitalized as much as Shake Milton. With James Harden and Tyrese Maxey each missing time with foot injuries, Milton got some extended opportunity on the court and produced the best basketball he has in years. This strong play has continued following Harden’s return and has drawn some rave reviews from analysts. In a recent article on Yahoo Sports Jake Fischer, Milton himself admitted he has been playing some of his best basketball in the NBA. His turbulent career path in which he has been in and out of the rotation has made it difficult to find his stride for an extended period of time.
When speaking to Fischer about his recent stretch of play “I remember early in my career there used to be highs and lows. You never really know what it feels like until you’re in it. You gotta fight internally every day to make sure you’re in a good spot, make sure you’re putting yourself in the best place to succeed. It definitely took me my years to kind of go through that, to know how to move and how to stay with it,” per Yahoo Sports.
Milton’s Stretch of Strong Play
On the season as a whole, Milton is averaging 11.2 points, 3.5 assists, and 3.3 rebounds per game in his 24.8 minutes of play. These assist and rebounding numbers are career-highs and he also is shooting a career-best 50.5% from the field.
In his eight games as a starter, Milton averaged 21.3 points, 6.0 assists, and 5.3 rebounds in his 38.0 minutes per game. He also shot 54.7% from the field on 14.6 attempts per game and 45.5% from beyond the arc on his 4.1 long-range attempts. Harden’s return has forced Milton back to the bench, but he has continued his strong play.
Both Doc Rivers and Joel Embiid have pointed to Milton’s growth outside of his scoring ability in his recent play. As Embiid put it, “He brings something to the table. I always expect a perfect pocket pass when we run a pick-and-roll, me and him. We haven’t had a lot of great ball handlers and great passers out of the pick-and-roll since I’ve been here. We didn’t have anyone like that before James. Shake was the best we had on the team at that. He’s really good at it. Shake is up there as far as reading the defense and making those types of plays,” per Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports.
Will Maxey’s Return Threaten Milton?
After being out of the rotation to start the season, it will be interesting to see the Sixers’ plan for keeping him involved. During the first eight games of the season, Milton did not see any time on the court in four of these matchups and did not exceed 7:30 of time on the court in any of the games. While Rivers has declared he has earned a permanent role in the rotation with his play, this is a more difficult task than it may seem.
Harden and Maxey are sure to dominate the main minutes at guard with De’Anthony Melton proving to be one of the more necessary role players on this Sixers roster. His defensive impact has been vital alongside the two guards who each have their defensive limitations. Matisse Thybulle also has looked more comfortable of late and will be necessary for certain matchups. His ability to make some sort of impact offensively gives his elite defense a chance to shine and this has been the case of late.
Regardless, Milton has earned a place within the Sixers’ rotation and deserves a chance to shine. The team has looked to find its stride of late and is now facing a true test against the Clippers. It was just two seasons ago when Milton torched the Los Angeles team for 39 points to burst on the scene with Rivers coaching the Clippers. It will now be on the coach to find the right formula to maximize the SMU product and ensure Milton keeps the Sixers’ offense stirring.
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