Tobias Harris confident that Shake Milton will help Sixers off the bench
CAMDEN, N.J.–With the Philadelphia 76ers dealing with a slew of injuries up and down the lineup, they needed somebody to step up and fill the shoes of the likes of James Harden and Tyrese Maxey.
In this case, the Sixers turned to Shake Milton and the 5-year veteran did not disappoint. The veteran out of SMU averaged 21.3 points, 6.0 assists, and 5.3 rebounds while shooting 54.7% from the floor and 45.5% from deep in eight games as a starter.
Now with Harden back in the lineup, Milton now reverts back to his reserve role, but Tobias Harris believes Milton can still be a big contributor to this team.
“I think he can apply the same scoring ability and playmaking that he was able to do being a starter,” said Harris. “I think what people have to understand and realize is it’s a whole different dynamic of starting and playing 36 minutes and Shake played a great deal of basketball in that time and showed everybody what he’s capable of doing, but you’re more comfortable as a player when you’re playing that many minutes and you’re also knowing that you don’t have to look over your shoulder of somebody coming in to get you, right?”
As Milton moves back into his role off the bench, he now has to readjust a little bit, but on the flip side, his focus can now be on scoring off the bench. He had 11 points and four assists off the bench on Monday in the loss to the Houston Rockets.
“It’s just readjusting a little bit,” Harris added of Milton. “He’s probably not gonna play 36 minutes a night, but he can still come in and whatever time that he gets and utilize all his skill set of creating plays and getting downhill, making shots, and playing great basketball like he’s doing. I think that it’ll be just a different sample size.”
Either way, the Sixers will take more of this type of production from Milton, As they continue to grow, they will need consistent play off the bench to help the starters out and that production has to come from Milton.
“Overall, he’s still been playing great basketball and he’s a great player,” Harris finished. “He’ll continue to do that with whatever type of minutes he gets.”
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