NEW YORK — As the Philadelphia 76ers get set to take on the New York Knicks in Round 1 of the playoffs, the focus will be on Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey looking to overcome the challenges of Jalen Brunson and a physical Knicks team.
Another smaller piece of the puzzle is former Sixers guard Shake Milton. The 6-year veteran out of SMU played his first five seasons in Philadelphia before signing with the Minnesota Timberwolves in the offseason. He was then traded to the Detroit Pistons at the deadline and then was waived before signing with the Knicks.
Milton has played only six games for New York, but he has a strong bond with Tyrese Maxey and heading into the series, had a lot of love for him and everything he’s accomplished thus far.
“I’m not surprised,” Milton smiled of Maxey. “I just see the way the kid works and what the game means to him. I think that’s the coolest thing to see is just all the hard work pay off and every time I see him I just tell him keep going and don’t ever look back so it’s really dope to see.”
As far as facing his former Sixers team and seeing some familiar faces, Milton is happy about that. He has been close with them since his departure, but on the flip side, the focus will be on his time in New York.
“Yeah, it’s cool,” he stated. “I imagine we don’t share too many words until after the series is over with, but definitely cool to see the homies, get to hoop, and compete against them.”
Naturally, it is a bit challenging for Milton at the moment. He has had to fight through a lot in terms of adversity in the 2023-24 season as far as playing for three different teams.
“It’s been good, man,” Milton said of his season. “It’s been just a steady process. Not trying to get too high, too low, just continue to put the work in. You never know where this thing will take you and how things can change in an instance so just working, man.”
It has been good for him to play in New York. The Knicks have a lot of history and playing in Madison Square Garden is a treat for him. It’s something he cherishes at the moment.
“It’s been a blessing to be out here,” he finished. “Especially, out here, man. Coming to work with these guys every day. They work extremely hard and you can just see the detail that they put into everything and of course, playing in The Garden is crazy. Every single night is just an experience. So it’s been dope.”
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