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While the Philadelphia 76ers have a lot of proven talent in the form of Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid as well as guys like Tobias Harris and others, they have some impressive young players who make an impact.
One of them is Shake Milton who morphed into the team’s starting point guard after a couple of impressive performances including a game where he dropped 39 points on the road against the Los Angeles Clippers. Philadelphia was down both Simmons and Embiid that game and Milton stepped up in a big way.
The coach of the Clippers that day was Doc Rivers who is now the head coach in Philadelphia and he has a very vivid memory of that March 1 day at Staples Center.
“The only thing I told Shake, if you can play like you did against us in LA then I don’t need to say another word to him,” said Rivers with a laugh. “He’s phenomenal and I think if my memory serves me correctly, I don’t think Ben or Joel played in that game. I just remember Shake almost single-handily beating us and from that point on, he took off. He’s not scared to take the shot. I love players like that.”
He is certainly right about Milton not being afraid of the big moment. As the team’s starting point guard, he drilled a game-winning triple to beat the San Antonio Spurs inside the bubble in Orlando and he also shot 40% from deep in the playoffs. He was really the only Sixer to shoot well from deep against the Boston Celtics as the team struggled as a whole shooting the ball.
Then, there’s Matisse Thybulle who continued to impress with his elite perimeter defense for somebody so young and inexperienced. As a rookie, he led his entire rookie class in total steals by a wide margin and he was fourth in blocks.
“I’ve talked to most of the guys,” said Rivers. “Let’s start with Matisse, he is an NBA All-Defensive Player now. He has a chance right now to make a difference defensively. Offensively will be his next step and we’ll work on that.”
Rivers is right about Thybulle’s offense. He will have to find consistency on the offensive end after going through so many peaks and valleys on the offensive end in terms of his shooting. If he can nail down an offensive game, then he can take the next step in his career. [lawrence-related id=38154,38151,38148]