Brooklyn Nets Stat of the Week: Shake Milton Shines in First Start

The 28-year-old guard finished with a double-double in his first start as a Net.

Dec 27, 2024; Brooklyn, New York, USA; Brooklyn Nets guard Shake Milton (7) drives past San Antonio Spurs forward Jeremy Sochan (10) in the third quarter at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images / Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images

Shake Milton started his first game in a Brooklyn Nets uniform on Friday, dropping a 16-point, 12-assist double-double in a loss to the San Antonio Spurs.

Milton’s start came as part of the Nets’ 16th different first five this season. Against the Spurs, he was given the nod at the point guard spot alongside Keon Johnson, Jalen Wilson, Dorian Finney-Smith and Nic Claxton. Milton led the team in assists and plus/minus (+7) during his 34 minutes on the court. 

The 28-year-old guard first season in Brooklyn had largely been intermittent until recently. Milton mostly started the season playing spot minutes when one of Ben Simmons or Dennis Schröder wasn’t playing. Over the Nets' first 20 games, Milton was a "Did Not Play" in four of them, and he played less than five minutes in another four.

Milton's role and minutes started increasing around the end of November, although it was Schröder's trade to the Golden State Warriors that seemingly opened up even more playing time for the former. With Simmons out against the Spurs — he’s still not playing both legs of a back-to-back — Friday’s game meant more shots and on-ball reps for Milton. He rewarded Brooklyn’s trust in him, finishing with a season-high in assists on just one turnover and securing his fourth-career double-double. 

"Shake drives, Shake scores, Shake it up." pic.twitter.com/s0mpKS1SGy

— Brooklyn Nets (@BrooklynNets) December 28, 2024

Head coach Jordi Fernández broke down Milton’s performance: “I'm really, very impressed. He's kind of like, playing a little bit out of position. He's more comfortable when I play him off the ball and then I can run actions for him. I'm asking him to pick up, to bring the ball, and then to try to score and organize everybody. So he’s doing a great job.”

Milton arrived in the borough as part of the trade that sent Mikal Bridges to the New York Knicks. The former SMU guard had signed with the Knicks in March after being bought out by the Detroit Pistons. Milton only appeared in six games for New York, averaging 1.8 points in 4.5 minutes.

He started his NBA career with the Philadelphia 76ers, who traded up in the 2018 NBA Draft to select him with the no. 54 overall pick. Milton was originally on a two-way contract, but he was converted to a standard deal after his rookie season. Milton's stint in Philadelphia lasted for five seasons.

The Nets are currently 12-19 after having split their most recent back-to-back. Brooklyn are back in action on Sunday against the Orlando Magic, who have already picked up three wins against the Nets this season.

---

Want to join the discussion? Like Nets on SI on Facebook and follow us on Twitter to stay up to date on all the latest Nets news. You can also meet the team behind the coverage.