Shake Milton could be the steal of the draft

By Christopher Kline | Jun 22, 2018

UNIVERSITY PARK, TX - NOVEMBER 10: SMU Mustangs guard Shake Milton (#1) dribbles the ball during the college basketball game between the SMU Mustangs and the UMBC Retrievers on November 10, 2017, at Moody Coliseum in Dallas, TX. SMU won the game 78-67. (Photo by Matthew Visinsky/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images). /

The Philadelphia 76ers added some impressive talent with the 54th pick.

Generally speaking, the end of the second round is a crapshoot. Teams are betting on upside and looking for training camp invites more often than adding legitimate contributors. That might not be the case for the Philadelphia 76ers, though.

With the 54th pick in the 2018 NBA Draft, the Sixers grabbed Shake Milton, the comboguard who spent three years at SMU. Milton was one of the better two-way guards in college basketball last season, averaging 18.0 points and 4.4 assists per game to go along with 1.4 steals.

Ranked 37th on our draft board, Milton was one of several versatile defenders that I slotted in the 25-40 range. Most mocks had him falling further — which was inevitably correct — but he has late first-round talent. I wouldn’t be surprised to see him on the 15-man roster next season if space is available.

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At 6-foot-6, Milton has one of the longest perimeter wingspans in the draft at 7-foot-1. He’ll need add strength, but he has the physical tools to defend three positions and play three positions offensively. He brings a ton of flexibility to the lineup.

Milton can’t consistently create shots off the dribble, but he is a solid spot-up shooter. Despite his slow release, he should be able to get it off at the next level. He was a career 42.7 percent three-point shooter in college.

Multi-positional defenders who can shoot the ball are exactly what the Sixers need.

He also played point guard at SMU, showing strong feel in the pick-and-roll and finding shooters off drives to the rim. Milton’s ball-handling could stand to improve, but he’s able to make smart passes and carry the role of secondary playmaker, with upside to become even more.

Again, he’s the exact player archetype that every Sixers fan called for following their second-round loss to the Boston Celtics. A plus athlete who can pass, dribble, shoot and defend bigger wings on the perimeter. Milton brings a lot of versatility and upside for the 54th pick.

The Sixers’ main goal in the second round was turning their picks into future assets, as they simply don’t have the roster space for a conglomerate of second-round talents. Milton might be too good to let go of, though, so expect the Sixers to give him a long, hard look when hashing out the 15-man roster. He might get some two-way contract consideration as well.

Next: Grading the Sixers' 2018 NBA Draft moves

For more on Milton’s game and his fit in Philadelphia, you can read his draft profile here.