Shake Milton's Good to Go vs. Hawks After Making Season Debut

Shake Milton's 2021-2022 NBA season debut was on hold for a little while. As the fourth-year guard engaged in a battle against Tyrese Maxey for the starting

Shake Milton's 2021-2022 NBA season debut was on hold for a little while. As the fourth-year guard engaged in a battle against Tyrese Maxey for the starting point guard position during the preseason, Milton found himself hitting a roadblock.

The day before Philly's third preseason game against the Brooklyn Nets, Milton rolled his ankle in practice. After receiving his diagnosis, Milton was out for the rest of the preseason with a sprained ankle.

There was hope Milton would return to practice in the days leading up to the regular-season opener against the New Orleans Pelicans, but it never happened. When the Sixers' season-opener came and went, Milton, watched from the side.

That would be the case for the next three games against the Brooklyn Nets, Oklahoma City Thunder, and the New York Knicks. Fortunately, Milton was back on track when Thursday's throwdown against the Detroit Pistons came around.

In the day leading up to the game, Milton was listed as questionable. After becoming a full participant in the Thursday morning shootaround session and feeling good throughout pregame warmups, Milton was activated for Thursday's game.

The veteran guard came off the bench and checked in for 16 minutes. He offered the 76ers a spark as he led the bench in scoring with 13 points off of 10 shots. Following the game, Milton mentioned his ankle wasn't bothering him at all.

"It feels pretty good," Milton said in regards to his ankle. "Especially, I do a lot of good work with John. Pregame stuff, and when I'm sitting over there, I'll have a hot pack to keep it warm and keep myself active. So it felt pretty good."

After getting back on the floor for his season debut on Thursday night, Milton avoided the injury report for the first time this year as the Sixers head into Saturday night's throwdown with the Atlanta Hawks. It's unclear if Milton will have an increased role or not just yet, but the 76ers will surely benefit from his return on Saturday.

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