76ers’ Shake Milton Remains Comfortable in Revised Role
Philadelphia 76ers veteran guard Shake Milton has gone through several different phases to begin the 2022-2023 NBA season.
At the start of the year, Milton was hardly a member of the team’s rotation, as he didn’t log a single minute on the court in the Sixers’ first three matchups. When he checked in for the first time on October 24 against the Indiana Pacers for six minutes, Milton followed up that shift by picking up another DNP the following game.
Sixers head coach Doc Rivers expanded the team’s rotation after a tough start. That led to Milton averaging eight minutes on the floor for three-straight games. Then when De’Anthony Melton missed a matchup, Milton clocked 15 minutes on the floor in a game against the Washington Wizards.
The November 2 matchup against Washington became the game James Harden suffered a tendon strain. That incident led to Melton seeing a promotion to the starting lineup for a long stretch, leaving Milton with guaranteed minutes off the bench.
For five-straight games, Milton’s minutes jumped to 16 per game. Then an injury to the other starting guard, Tyrese Maxey, occurred. Suddenly, Milton went from a backup that’s fighting to stay in the rotation to a starter.
With that opportunity, Milton thrived.
Averaging 38 minutes over the span of eight games, Milton produced an average of 21 points and six assists while draining 55 percent of his shots from the field and knocking down 46 percent of his threes. While it was clear Milton’s successful streak wouldn’t lead him to a full-time role in the starting lineup as Harden and Maxey would eventually return, the young veteran reminded the Sixers of just how valuable he can be coming off the bench for the team.
When Harden returned to the Sixers last Monday for the matchup against the Houston Rockets. Milton came off the bench, as expected. He checked in for 26 minutes, draining 50 percent of his ten shots for 11 points in the double-overtime loss to Houston.
In the following game against the Los Angeles Lakers, Milton scored six points off eight shots in 24 minutes of action as the Sixers defeated LA in overtime. Against the Charlotte Hornets, Milton exceeded double-digit scoring for the 12th time this year in 20 minutes. Going 4-7 from the field, Milton put up 11 points in the 18-point victory over the Hornets.
Then on Tuesday against the Sacramento Kings, Milton saw the court for 32 minutes and scored 14 points as the Sixers cruised past the Kings with a 20-point victory.
With a four-game sample size of what life is like for the Sixers when Milton’s featured off the bench, Sixers coach Doc Rivers is inspired by what he’s seen from the young veteran lately.
“He’s been great,” Rivers said following Tuesday’s game. “He’s still comfortable, you know? I love a couple of plays this game and the last game. He’s not waiting for guys. In the past, he would get it and wait for James and wait for Joel. Now, we’re throwing it up to him. We’re saying, ‘Go… Go attack.’ He did that three or four times. Shake’s a monster in the open court, and we want him to stay in the open court.”
With constant lineup changes due to health reasons, Milton has been making constant adjustments throughout the year. As he looks to settle into a steady role, Milton is continuing to search and find ways to make an impact on the game.
“It’s cool,” Milton said when asked about coming off the bench again. “I just got to continue to try to find ways to be productive. Guys are unselfish, and everybody is focused on just making the right play and winning. So, it becomes kind of simple.”
Lately, Doc Rivers has put an emphasis on the Sixers’ need to push the pace on the court. When Milton handled some of the duties of running the starting five, he set a good example of how the system should work when the ball is flowing. Now, the 76ers want to keep it consistent.
“Really, the last two games. 120s, shooting over 50 percent. You know, the ball’s moving, the floor is wide open — that’s exactly what we’re talking about,” said Rivers.
“I think we have our moments when it kind of slows down, but I think, for the most part, we’ve done a pretty good job of playing with pace,” Milton added. “Really, it’s just getting the ball up within the first five seconds of the shot clock. We like to play fast. I feel like when we play with pace, it kind of opens up everything up for us.”
Philadelphia’s bench is certainly still a work in progress, as they’ve been outscored in the last four games while averaging 24 points per outing. However, they’ve seen a notable boost while Milton’s running the unit with confidence. And they’ll only improve over time as the team gets healthier and Melton eventually re-joins the bench when Tyrese Maxey’s back in the fold.
Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for All76ers, a Sports Illustrated channel. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_.
