Getty Shake Milton #18 of the Philadelphia 76ers reacts following a play during the second half of the game against the Charlotte Hornets at Spectrum Center on November 23, 2022 in Charlotte, North Carolina.
As the Philadelphia 76ers inch back to full strength, the play of some of the bench unit players cannot be forgotten. At the top of this list is Shake Milton who earned an NBA Eastern Conference Player of the Week nomination due to his strong play. The 26-year-old continued this stretch of success following Joel Embiid’s return, with Milton producing 21 points, seven assists, and five rebounds while leading the Sixers in minutes. His performance earned the respect of his opponents as DeJounte Murray had some strong praise for Milton following the game.
The Hawks’ guard and 2021-22 All-Star stated following the game, “I’ve always been a fan of him. I watch a ton of basketball so I’m aware without the scouting report. I’m aware of what he’s been doing. It goes back two or three years ago, two years ago, when he was getting a lot of time, playing really well. He’s taking advantage of the opportunity. He’s being a real professional and you gotta respect that,” per Ky Carlin of SixersWire.
Shake Milton’s last 6 games:
27 PTS, 6 REB, 2 AST, 66% FG
16 PTS, 6 REB, 5 AST, 50% FG
22 PTS, 7 REB, 9 AST, 56% FG
24 PTS, 9 REB, 10 AST, 54% FG
29 PTS, 5 REB, 7 AST, 77% FG
21 PTS, 5 REB, 7 AST, 45% FG
Milton’s Stretch of Strong Play
With James Harden and Tyrese Maxey both still recovering from their foot injuries, Milton kept his spot in the starting lineup for the sixth consecutive game. Over this stretch, Milton has seen his minutes per game increase to 38.7 minutes where he is averaging 23.2 points, 6.7 assists, and 6.3 rebounds per game. He also has been extremely efficient and is connecting on 57.1% from the field and 53.8% of his three-point attempts during this stretch.
Milton has always been known for his ability to score, but his ability to impact the game in other ways has changed the outlook of his game. Doc Rivers reinforced this message following the Sixers’ recent victory over the Magic by stating, “He was great. Good decision-making. Best I’ve seen him pass, ever. He’s always been a scorer, but right now, Shake’s doing more. He made two defensive plays, got his hands on the ball, and got a steal, a tie-up, rebounding the ball and making the right decisions. It’s really great to see,” per Justin Grasso of Sports Illustrated.
Felt like Shake Milton played an almost perfect 39 minutes last night –
Handled the rock and got his teammates the ball where they can be themselves … and scored at will when his squad was depending on him.
Big reason why PHI overcame an early deficit and eventually beat ATL.
Milton’s Role Moving Forward
After being on the outside looking in of the rotation to start the season, Milton’s strong play may have earned him an expanded on-court opportunity. The former second-round pick did not see any on-court time in four of the Sixers’ first five games of the season and did not crack over 15 minutes of playing time until the ninth game of the season.
Shake Milton been acting a lil different lately …
Rivers acknowledged prior to the most recent victory over the Hawks that Milton unfortunately must see his role shrink when the team returns to full health. When asked about this by a reporter Rivers questioned back, “You want him to play in front of James [Harden] or Tyrese [Maxey]? Just curious,” per Heavy Sports’ Mike Greger. The head coach also shot down the concept of benching P.J. Tucker when prodded about this.
While there are only so many minutes to go around, Milton has done everything possible to show why he deserves his fair share of these. The Sixers have benefitted greatly from his ball-handling, playmaking, and shot creation which are all areas where the team has lacked. It is worth noting that both Harden (36.8 minutes per game) and Maxey (36.4 minutes per game) rank within the top 14 in the NBA for time on the court per game. Especially considering the injuries, it would be wise to scale this back slightly which could pave the way for Milton to continue receiving an opportunity. Hopefully, the guard continues to flourish in his opportunities he maintains this level of play alongside the Sixers stars.