Sixers' Shake Milton Upgraded to Questionable vs. Pistons on Thursday

Shake Milton had a shot at becoming the Sixers' temporary starting point guard to begin the 2021-2022 NBA season. As the three-time All-Star Ben Simmons went through with his plan to hold out from the team, 76ers head coach Doc Rivers declared a position battle between Tyrese Maxey and Milton in the preseason.

For the first preseason game, Milton came off the bench. In the second game, he started. Before reaching the third game, Rivers hinted that Milton had the slight upper hand over the second-year guard, but the veteran ball-handler suffered an unfortunate setback just one day after Rivers talked Milton up.

It was a Sunday afternoon practice when Milton went down after rolling his ankle. Although there wasn't an immediate diagnosis, the Sixers ruled Milton out of the team's third preseason game against Brooklyn.

After failing to practice all week leading up to the preseason finale, Milton was also ruled out against the Detroit Pistons as well. Milton lost out on the starting point guard position by default. And at this point, he has yet to see the floor still.

The 76ers opened up their season against the New Orleans Pelicans last Wednesday. Since then, they've faced the Brooklyn Nets, Oklahoma City Thunder, and the New York Knicks. After getting off to a 2-2 start to the year, the Sixers found out they need help at the point guard position as they lack reliable playmakers.

Fortunately, they might get a look at Milton for the first time this regular season on Thursday night. During the first four games of the year, Milton was listed as out leading up to every matchup. On Thursday, he's been upgraded to questionable.

Although Milton fell out of favor late in the year last season, the veteran guard played well for the most part during the regular season. As he averaged 23 minutes on the court in 60 games, Milton averaged 13 points and three assists while shooting 35-percent from deep. He'll likely be eased back into the swing of things if he does play since he hasn't practiced in weeks. However, the Sixers need more help at the point guard position. So, they'll take what they can get right now.

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