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Philadelphia 76ers ink 2nd-round pick Milton to two-way contract

By Stuart London

UNIVERSITY PARK, TX - JANUARY 10: SMU Mustangs guard Shake Milton (#1) calls out a play during the American Athletic Conference college basketball game between the SMU Mustangs and the Temple Owls on January 10, 2018, at Moody Coliseum in Dallas, TX. Temple won the game 66-64. (Photo by Matthew Visinsky/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images).
UNIVERSITY PARK, TX - JANUARY 10: SMU Mustangs guard Shake Milton (#1) calls out a play during the American Athletic Conference college basketball game between the SMU Mustangs and the Temple Owls on January 10, 2018, at Moody Coliseum in Dallas, TX. Temple won the game 66-64. (Photo by Matthew Visinsky/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images). /
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The Philadelphia 76ers added another potential young wing with the signing of 2nd-round pick Shake Milton of SMU to a two-way contract

Philadelphia 76ers and Delaware Blue Coats fans will be able to shout “Shake it up baby,” as the team has signed second-round pick Shake Milton to a two-way contract.

Milton, a 6-foot-5 combo guard, officially signed a two-way contract with the Sixers on Thursday. Per team policy, no details of the contract were announced.

If you go by the NBA mock drafts, Milton was virtually a steal for the 76ers, getting him with the 54th pick in the 2018 NBA Draft. The Sixers traded the 56th and 60th selections to Dallas for the 54th and the chance to pick Milton.

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Many sites had Milton being tabbed as going as early as the late first-round.

To draftolgists, if the Sixers had picked Milton instead of Landry Shamet with the 26th pick, few eyebrows would have raised.

The 76ers currently have 15 players with contracts for the upcoming season, which is the limit for a regular season roster (they can carry as many as 20 in the pre-season). Teams are, additionally, allowed to sign two players to two-way contracts.

Being a two-way player, Milton is basically assigned to the 76ers’ G-League affiliate, the Delaware Blue Coats, but can spend as many as 45 days with the main club without affecting their roster.

If coach Brett Brown really comes to like Milton, the club would have to offer him a regular NBA contract past the 45-day mark.

Milton is not the athlete that Zhaire Smith may be, but he is several inches taller and has an incredible wingspan (7-foot-1). Milton is the type of player Brown and the 76ers personnel staff were apparently looking for in the draft, as all three selections are very similar in style of play.

He is a comboguard who can shoot (42 percent from three-point range last year) but has a good enough handle to play point when needed. On the defensive end, he does not jump out of the building like a Smith, but he has size, strength and that incredible wingspan.

Under NBA rules teams can sign up to two players to a two-way contract. Milton’s signing leaves the Sixers with one remaining spot for a two-way.

During the 2017-18 season, Milton averaged 18.0 points, 4.7 rebounds and 4.4 points as a junior for the Mustangs. He leaved SMU with career averages of 13.4 points, 3.9 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 1.1 steals in 87 games (80 starts).

Milton is an intriguing prospect. He missed the last 11 games with SMU due to a broken hand. He also had to bypass the 76ers’ summer league team because of a stress fracture in his back, so Sixer fans have really not had a chance to check him out.

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If the 76ers are not getting much production out of their wings, it would not be surprising to see Milton called up during the season and get thrown into the lineup to see how he would do. He is definitely not your normal late second-round pick.