Shake Milton Ruled Out vs. Nets After Rolling Ankle in Practice
Before Sunday afternoon's practice, Philadelphia 76ers guard Shake Milton was in a two-man battle for the starting point guard position. As Ben Simmons stays true to his holdout, 76ers head coach Doc Rivers has wanted to get a look at Milton and Tyrese Maxey as they are the Sixers' two best options to fill the void of Simmons.
Unfortunately for Milton, he suffered a setback, which could affect his progress in the camp competition. The Sixers participated in practice on Sunday afternoon to prepare for their third preseason matchup against the Brooklyn Nets.
One moment, Milton was fine and running the offense. The next moment, Rivers looked over and saw the young guard on the ground after stepping on the foot of another teammate during the session.
"I didn't see it," Rivers explained after practice. "I actually was worried because I didn't see anyone around. He went down and then someone said (Andre) Drummond. . . He stepped on Drummond's foot. I didn't see it at all."
Going into Monday's game, Rivers had a good idea of what his rotations were going to look like against Brooklyn on Monday night. However, the head coach explained that preseason always shakes up plans as setbacks are bound to happen. So, he used Milton's most recent setback as an example.
"[The third preseason game] just goes by health," Rivers said. "Like, how many guys, I mean, we had a bunch of guys go down today. Nothing bad, but you know, tweaked ankles and stuff. So, you just really by the third or fourth game you're trying to get through health-wise, and you're gonna start seeing some guys out."
Milton is indeed ruled out for Monday's game against the Nets after rolling his ankle on Sunday. According to a team official, Milton was diagnosed with a sprained right ankle. Right now, there isn't a timetable for his return as he continues to undergo evaluation.
Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_.
