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What the Philadelphia 76ers have been able to accomplish in the wake of Joel Embiid’s bone bruise-induced absence has been nothing short of incredible.
Despite missing his 30 points, 12 boards and three assists (not to mention his all-world defensive presence) for their last 10 games, the Sixers have gone 7-3 over that span. Had the ball bounced differently a handful of times against a tough Milwaukee Bucks squad on March 17, that mark would be 8-2.
In Embiid’s absence, a number of players have stepped up their production. Most notably, Tobias Harris has seemingly turned his All-Star snub into fuel for a litany of standout efforts.
However, third-year guard Shake Milton is probably just as responsible as Harris for Philly’s somewhat surprising ability to remain in the hunt for the East’s No. 1 seed as Embiid sits on the sidelines.
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“Sniper” Shake a Low-Key Killer
In the Sixers latest win, a 114-94 laugher over the Cleveland Cavaliers, Milton’s offensive prowess was on full display. In just 27 minutes of play, the 24-year-old scored a game-high 27 points on 10-of-14 shooting, hitting five threes along the way and adding five rebounds and four assists.
However, the team’s resident “Sniper” has been killing it on the court for a hot minute now.
Over his last eight games, Milton has been the Sixers’ second-leading scorer, putting up nearly 18 points per contest on shooting splits of 52-44-77. Going beyond his raw, individual numbers, though, the team has just played better when he has been on the floor.
During the Sixers’ 7-3 stretch, they have outscored opponents by a massive margin — 14.2 points per 100 possessions — when Milton has been on the court. That is the best mark on the team among current rotation regulars.
In contrast, Philly has been almost dead-even when he has been on the bench.
Milton’s improved play is noteworthy for a number of reasons beyond Embiid’s absence. Firstly, he had been struggling mightily before kicking it into high gear recently, averaging 11.3 points and shooting just 29 percent from three-point range over a 10-game span from Feb. 21 to March 16.
Secondly, Ben Simmons’ recent offensive struggles and George Hill’s delayed debut have left the Sixers in a backcourt bind.
Finally, he has given a bench unit that had failed to deliver at times during the first half of the season a much-needed kick in the pants. Now, what had been a question mark heading into the All-Star break suddenly bears the look of a competitive advantage.
Milton on Leading the Bench
After the win over the Cavs, Milton described his individual approach to leading Philly’s bench unit as follows:
“I feel like the ball is gonna find energy,” he said, via USA Today. “That’s something me and my colleagues talk about all the time, so I’ve just been trying to do all the little things on defense, being engaged being active, helping guys, helping the bigs rebound, just trying to do all the little things outside of scoring.”
“That type of stuff is going to come to me so I just got to make sure I’m staying focused on all the little details.”
Milton and the Sixers will be back in action on Saturday against the Minnesota Timberwolves.
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