The Philadelphia 76ers entered Saturday night’s matchup with the Los Angeles Lakers in dire straits. Not only were they down superstar big man Joel Embiid, but they were also down shooting guard dot connector Josh Richardson.
They had to battle against LeBron James and Anthony Davis, two of the premier players in the league, all while down two starters. So naturally, coach Brett Brown called upon Shake Milton to start in Richardson’s place.
“They were talking about maybe me starting yesterday (Friday), but officially today,” he said.
When asked if he had any butterflies, he admitted that he did have some initially.
“Yeah, prime time game and everything like that, but once the ball’s tipped and you get up and down the floor one time, you’re good. It’s just basketball,” he explained.
Milton had seven points and nine rebounds in a 108-91 win over the Lakers at home and he was pretty impressive. He did not back down from any challenges and he played within himself and that’s what Brown was looking for.
“There is a poise, an inner peace, he plays at a non-rattled level,” Brown explained. “He really doesn’t get rattled, he doesn’t get shooken up. He had nine rebounds. Nine rebounds is pretty impressive.”
With Richardson out 2-3 weeks, there is a chance that Milton does get even more time. It was a shock that he even started to begin with as he was out of the rotation for quite a while. His play on all over the floor was actually solid on an overall level. [lawrence-related id=24235,24216,24209]