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Ever since the 2020-2021 regular season concluded and the playoff run started, Philadelphia 76ers backup guard Shake Milton has struggled to hit his stride. In the first round against the Washington Wizards, Milton averaged less than 10 minutes per game as he saw his playing time dwindle over the five-game series.

Putting up just three points per matchup and shooting 21-percent from the field, Milton saw less than a minute of playing time when the second-round series against the Atlanta Hawks started up last Sunday.

While it seemed Milton's playing time in the playoffs was going away, 76ers head coach Doc Rivers assured everybody that we haven't seen the last of Shake Milton this year. The Sixers have made it clear that anybody can get minutes on any given night all season long. Therefore, the reserves have to stay ready.

Ahead of Game 2 on Tuesday night, Sixers center Joel Embiid had a hunch that Milton would pick up some notable minutes. After telling the third-year guard to be ready for whatever, Embiid watched his young teammate earn every one of his 14 minutes of playing time during the Game 2 battle versus the Hawks.

After watching his team get a lead over the Hawks in the first half, Milton sat patiently on the bench, waiting for his number to be called. When the third quarter rolled around, the reserve guard hit the floor. At that point, Milton made it difficult for Rivers to take him out as the veteran guard stayed ready and remained hot.

“I felt really good,” Milton said on Thursday. “My teammates, I just heard over and over again to stay ready from them, and I just tried to be prepared for when my number was called and just go out there and play. It felt good because it was the playoffs, and we got a win.”

In 14 minutes and 15 seconds on the floor, Milton hit 62-percent of his shots from the field. Going four-for-five from deep, the third-year guard became the unlikely hero for a struggling bench unit and contributed to 14 points for the Sixers in crunch time.

“It was just something that happened during the game,” he continued. “That’s your job. Your job is to be ready. You don’t know when your name is gonna be called. You just got to be prepared, and that’s what I tried to do.”

Although he's struggled so far in the playoffs, Milton got his much-needed redemption in Game 2. Considering he was a bright spot for the struggling bench, Milton has likely earned himself additional playing time for Game 3, where he'll need to be ready to lead the charge for the second unit one again. 

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