Tobias Harris Was Happy to See Shake Milton Bounce Back vs. Heat

Lately, Philadelphia 76ers head coach Doc Rivers has minimized the team's rotation. As the playoffs are quickly approaching, the Sixers are starting to figure

Lately, Philadelphia 76ers head coach Doc Rivers has minimized the team's rotation. As the playoffs are quickly approaching, the Sixers are starting to figure out which players will contribute or not.

For a guy like Furkan Korkmaz, he's been out of the rotation lately. As Korkmaz cooled off after a hot start to the year, his struggles have caused him to hurt the team more than he helped them coming off of the bench.

So, as the rotation shrunk, Korkmaz became an odd-man-out. As for Sixers guard Shake Milton, he was one of the few players to remain in the primary rotation.

As Milton has become Philadelphia's backup point guard over the last couple of years, he continues to play that role. However, he has quietly struggled in the few games leading up to Monday night's matchup against the Miami Heat.

The Bounce Back

In the matchups against the Cleveland Cavaliers, Dallas Mavericks, and the Toronto Raptors, Milton averaged roughly eight minutes on the floor. During that time, the backup guard didn't attempt a single shot.

And in the five games before his drought, Milton hit on just 26-percent of his shots from the field in an average of 16 minutes on the court.

On Monday, with James Harden absent from Philadelphia's backcourt, the Sixers needed an offensive boost. Fortunately, Milton took advantage of the opportunity and was a notable contributor in Harden's absence against the Miami Heat.

After spending 31 minutes on the court on Monday, Milton hit on nine of his 18 shots. He led Philly's bench in scoring with 20 points. Although Milton hasn't scored as much as 20 points since early November, Tobias Harris and the Sixers were happy to see the young veteran bounce back.

Praise From Harris

"For him, everything is just all circumstance and opportunity," said Harris regarding Milton. "In a lot of those three games, he really hasn't had that many looks. So, for him, it's just to stay ready, and you see him tonight come out, and obviously, with Joel and James not playing, he just had an opportunity, and he just took advantage of a matchup out there, and he was able to get to his shots."

Milton has been described as a hard worker many times throughout his tenure with the Sixers. While his hard work doesn't always pay off as he has limited opportunities at times, the young guard stays prepared for the nights they really need him.

"That's the type of player he is," Harris continued. "He puts the work in, he's a confident player and very skilled to get his own shot off as well."

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_.