Doc Rivers Says Shake Milton Has Been 'Amazing' in Sixers Training Camp
So far, it seems Shake Milton's surprising emergence from late last season is no fluke. Before the Philadelphia 76ers had to take on a hiatus due to COVID-19, the young guard was becoming somewhat of a sensation in Philly.
While Milton's performances in the bubble weren't necessarily on the same level as his pre-COVID play, the young guard still showed tons of promise before the Sixers got knocked out in the first round against the Boston Celtics.
These days, the 76ers are rolling with a new coaching staff headlined by Doc Rivers. Sometimes, when new coaches come into an organization, the team's non-stars might fall out of favor. For Shake Milton, though, he continues to turn heads.
Just last week, Sixers veteran center Dwight Howard singled out Milton when asked about which player not named Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons has stood out to him the most. "Shake, I like him," Howard said last week. "I like his attitude, his demeanor on the court. He works extremely hard, so I'm looking forward to playing with him."
Sixers head coach Doc Rivers hasn't been shy about discussing his admiration for the third-year guard. As somebody who coached against Milton when the rising star put up nearly 40 points, Rivers hasn't seemed to have gotten that performance out his head as he constantly preaches how good the young Sixer can be.
Knowing what he can bring to the table, Rivers set the bar of expectations high for Shake Milton when camp started on Sunday. And a few days in so far, Rivers remains impressed with the former SMU standout.
"Shake's been amazing," Rivers stated on Tuesday. "He's faster than I thought. It's funny, he had a big game against [the Clippers last season], but most of that was jump shooting. You know, when I was with the Clippers, he made a bunch of jump shots. I didn't see his ability to get to the rack and make plays. He played with the first group today because we keep moving groups around, and he was unbelievable."
The chances of Milton cracking the starting lineup this year is a lot slimmer than last season. As the Sixers added more seasoned shooters to play alongside Ben Simmons, Milton will likely come off the bench in 2020-2021.
However, as practices continue, it seems Milton could realistically become the team's go-to guy off the bench. Whether he'll have ball-handler duties or not is unclear, but regardless of which position he'll play, Milton's going to get his touches and opportunities.
Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated. You can follow him on Twitter: @JGrasso_
