Philadelphia 76ers: Shake Milton deserves a shot to backup Ben Simmons

Why should the Philadelphia 76ers sign a minimum vet when they have Shake Milton?

For much of the offseason, fans of the Philadelphia 76ers have been pining for their first real point guard since, well, Michael Carter-Williams, maybe even Jrue Holiday.

On paper, the theory tracked. In 2019-20, Brett Brown almost exclusively used Ben Simmons at the one with a slew of cheap alternatives like T.J. McConnell and Raul Neto filling out the remaining 12-14 minutes of action a night.

Was it a perfect system? No. When Simmons was off the court, especially in the bubble after suffering his second season-ending injury of the 2020 calendar year, the Sixers struggled to move the ball and simply couldn’t get anything going on the offensive end of the court. But surely Doc Rivers and Daryl Morey – a dream team that makes the horrible one-two punch of the 2019-20 season worth it – would fit that, no? Surely they wouldn’t make the same mistakes as the previous administration; they’re just too good at their jobs to let that happen.

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Well, as things presently stand, apparently not.

After watching the top point guards on the market – Chris Paul, Rajon Rondo, Ricky Rubio, Goran Dragic, etc. – fly off the board one by one, the Sixers suddenly find themselves with a mid-level exception to spend and only a handful of legit point guards left to overpay- many of which just aren’t worth more than a veteran minimum type deal.

Could the team always opt to trade for a point guard using one of their exceptions? I mean, it sure sounds like Rivers’ former squad wouldn’t mind moving on from the final two years of Patrick Beverley‘s three-year, $40 million deal. But what if that isn’t the plan? What if, regardless of who was available at 21 in the 2020 NBA Draft and in free agency, the team already had their second-string point guard under contract?

That’s right; we’re talking about Shake Milton.

Once upon a time, there wasn’t a player more popular on the Philadelphia 76ers than Shake Milton. In a time long, long ago, between Simmons suffering a lower back injury once-considered season-ending and Joel Embiid returning from a two-plus week absence due to a shoulder injury of his own, Milton put the team on his shoulders and made the Sixers fun to watch, even if their record didn’t exactly show it.

His coming-out party – ironically enough against his future coach – was arguably the single best Sixers loss of the last decade, and his ability to not only knock down shots but create them for himself instantly turned the then-23-year-old into a favorite amongst a fanbase all too familiar with mythologizing borderline NBA players far above their actual talent levels.

I once mused about the idea of Shake Milton Prayer candles littering the City’s bodegas, and frankly, that statement was only slightly hyperbolic.

Though Milton struggled to recapture his March form when the NBA season resumed a few miles removed from the Magic Kingdom back in August, he still flashed enough to prove he was far from a one month wonder.

Maybe Morey and Rivers saw those games, saw Milton’s upside as a passer, and thought he’d be a more than capable replacement for Simmons when he leaves the court, at least to start out the 2020-21 season. Factor in the addition of Tyrese Maxey, himself a college combo guard who could excel playing both on and off the ball, and the idea of utilizing assets on a point guard – either cash, draft picks, or players – may have simply been a luxury the team was unwilling to explore.

Who knows, maybe things won’t work out, and the Sixers will be using one of those aforementioned exceptions on a guard like Rondo or, ya know, Doc’s son Austin (more on that here), but why rush it? The 76ers are borderline guarantees to make the playoffs in 2021 barring a total collapse; why not give Milton and Maxey some play before relegating them to the bench in the playoffs for a more senior option?

Remember, in Milton’s best game of last season, he had 27 points and six assists; a total he matched or bested in four of the team’s remaining 24 contests. He may never become Rondo straight up, but he can most certainly contribute as a secondary option next to Simmons or splitting time in a two point guard lineup alongside Maxey.

If Milton can take a step forward as a passer and not consistently put Joel Embiid in bad positions in the paint, he could really develop into a wonderful performer for the Sixers over the final three seasons of his four-year, $6.99 million contract. If not, well, Milton can always kick over to shooting guard, where he can legitimately damage an opposing defense with his lethal 3 point shot.

Either way, the Sixers are a better team with Shake Milton on their roster, as you surely already know.

Next. See you at the trade deadline, Austin Rivers. dark

Whether the Philadelphia 76ers explicitly wanted to play Shake Milton as their primary backup to Ben Simmons, they pivoted after landing Tyrese Maxey in the draft, or the team’s free agency plans simply didn’t shake out as planned, we may never know. But what we do know is that Milton started 28 pretty good games for the team last season and showed enough promise to deserve a bit more of a run before his job somehow becomes in jeopardy. Assuming some surprise opportunity a la Dwight Howard doesn’t materialize a bit further down the line, why not run with it and see how it goes?