The road for a second-round pick in the NBA is never easy. There are a lot of obstacles to get through to become an NBA rotation piece and that is what has happened for Philadelphia 76ers guard Shake Milton.
Milton, the 54th pick in the 2018 draft, spent his rookie season toiling with the Delaware Blue Coats in the G League and his work as a two-way player earned him a guaranteed NBA contract. His second season in the league started off nicely as he was in the team’s rotation before a knee injury derailed him a bit and he spent more time in Delaware.
Now, with Ben Simmons out with a back injury, coach Brett Brown and the Sixers are counting on him to be their starting point guard. He has scored a combined 39 points in their previous two games and he is earning the trust of his team.
“What a fantastic story of late,” said Brown. “It’s getting to the stage where the unique performances, performances that catch your eye have become more and more frequent. To knock out a back-to-back is even more impressive. He’s just becoming consistently reliable on a bunch of things. The statistics we’re all going to see, but defensively, watch him sit in a stance and watch him follow a game plan. He’s deceptively long and I think he’s improved tremendously defensively.”
Milton has been one of the hardest workers in the team’s practice facility continuing to stay ready even when he is not playing. He played a grant total of 2:34 from January 3 from January 20, but he stayed ready and he earned an opportunity to start when Josh Richardson went down with the hamstring injury on January 22. With Simmons out, the Sixers turned back to him again to start.
“It’s definitely tough, but just making sure that you’re staying in shape,” said Milton. “We do a good job of playing the low-minute guys and we are playing pickup and making sure that we are staying ready. We are just making sure that we are super locked into what the team is doing defensively and offensively so that when your number is called, you’re ready to step in and make an impact.”
Of course, it also helps that your teammates have the trust and confidence in you. Along with Brown, Tobias Harris acknowledged the work Milton has put in and that can do wonders for a young player.
“It feels good,” he added. “It’s definitely just a process. I’m still learning a lot, so every game I feel like I’m able to take away something new and learn from it. I put that on my board as something to get better at. Tomorrow we will watch film and see the mistakes that I made and see how I’m able to change those and put out an even better effort next time.”
Milton is averaging 15.3 points and shooting 9-for-14 from deep over the first three games filling in for Simmons. That has given this team a huge spark and it will be needed during their upcoming 4-game west coast swing.
“At this stage, if everybody is looking for a tournament, he’s winning it,” said Brown. “He’s the starting point guard. The rest of it falls into place with some other ballhandlers that are more than capable. Shake has been a needed surprise late.” [lawrence-related id=26695,26674,26662]