Philadelphia 76ers guard Shake Milton had himself an impressive second season in 2019-20. The young guard took on more responsibility and he even took over the starting point guard spot when the season resumed in the bubble.
As he heads into the 2020-21 season, there appears to be a clear role for Milton on this team under coach Doc Rivers. That means that the young man had to put on more weight to make sure that he is ready.
“Definitely my body,” Milton said of his offseason. “My body was one of the main focuses, just trying to get stronger. Put on some weight a little bit. Be consistent with my shooting working on shooting off the bounce, just working on the mechanics of it, passing and then, of course, defense as well just being in a stance being able to slide, being able to react, things like that.”
Just how much weight did Milton add in the offseason?
“Probably during the season I was playing around really like 204 or 205 or something around that range,” he explained. “[Now] like 217/218 now.”
Rivers does appear to have the third-year guard out of SMU set for a 6th Man role much as he did with Jamal Crawford and Lou Williams during his time with the Los Angeles Clippers.
Milton has played so many roles with the Sixers so far that he is ready for a move back to the bench under Rivers.
“I like it,” Milton beamed. “I’m willing to do whatever it takes to help the team win in whatever way and whatever fashion. So, the coach thinks that’s the best route for me, and it’s going to be my job to be prepared to fill it.”
To prepare for his new role as the super sub guard, he has found himself on YouTube watching film of Crawford and Williams so he understands how the offense runs so he is not thrown off by anything.
“Personally, just being on YouTube you can just go in there and type in Jamal Crawford’s name or Lou Will’s name and see what the actions look like and it’s even funny now that I’m able to see film of it,” he said. “You can kind of see how the offense is set up and where guys are getting the shots and looks from so I guess from that aspect, it can definitely play a big role.”
The season tips off on Dec. 22 and Milton has until then to get comfortable in his role under Rivers. [lawrence-related id=39706,39698,39695]