The Philadelphia 76ers bench unit has been struggling for a few weeks now as the team has been dealing with injuries as well as the team still working out the kinks under new coach Doc Rivers. The coach is still trying to figure out his rotations and that has caused some issues for the team’s second unit.
On Thursday, they seemed to have turned a corner a bit as they scored 46 points as a unit in Thursday’s win over the Dallas Mavericks. Dwight Howard was a big reason for that as he scored 14 points and had eight rebounds, but Shake Milton played a key role as well with his ability to get into the paint and set up his teammates.
“Very important,” said Howard. “When he facilitates the offense, when he gets to the paint, and makes plays, it’s hard for teams to guard. We’re really trying to get some continuity with me and him in the pick-and-roll. That way, he can get downhill, get to his spot, and also find the guys for 3s.”
Milton did not shoot the ball well on Thursday as he shot just 4-for-13, but he was a plus-17 in the game as he did a great job of setting up his teammates and he did a great job of playing defense on the other end as well.
He finished with six assists on the night. Normally, one sees Milton contribute more with his scoring, but the team is working with him to become an even better passer.
“I thought it was his best point guard night,” said Rivers. “I think Shake basically has been a scorer for us. Tonight, I thought he was a great passer for us and got everybody else going. I think in return, Shake started getting going so very proud of that. That’s one thing we’ve been really working on and being a better passer.”
For the third-year guard out of SMU, this is all still a work in progress for him. He still has to find that balance of being a scorer and a point guard off the team’s bench, but it will come in due time. He just needs to grow as a player.
“Shake is an amazing player,” said Howard. “I love seeing his growth as a player. He can score, pass, and do just about everything on the floor. Just real proud of his progress and how he led the second team tonight.”
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