Philadelphia 76ers: Shake Milton is an upgrade over T.J. McConnell
With a strong G-League season under his belt, Shake Milton looks like the Philadelphia 76ers’ long-term backup point guard.
The Philadelphia 76ers‘ bench has been a topic of discussion all season, with a busy trade deadline not completely solving the second unit’s periodic ineptitude. Arguably the most talented starting five in the East is, at times, offset by an equally as dreadful bench.
One reason is the backup point guard spot. With Markelle Fultz not panning out, the Sixers were once again forced to turn to T.J. McConnell. On a team attempting to contend for a championship, McConnell is an unavoidable negative who hampers the Sixers on both ends.
Undersized and not so athletic, McConnell’s scrappiness has transformed him into a fan favorite over the years. He’s one of the few Process members left on the roster, which places him in a special light for many fans.
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Even so, his game was never adequate for a competitive team. Not for someone who’s required, due to lack of depth and nothing else, to playing significant minutes. The Sixers rely too heavily on McConnell, but there’s not always a choice.
Listed at 6-foot-2 but presumably smaller, McConnell lacks the physical tools to aptly defend bigger guards. His effort level at the point of attack doesn’t matter when players can simply overpower him en route to the basket.
It doesn’t get better on offense. While McConnell can provide energy and a steady hand, his complete inability to shoot kills offensive possessions. That was on full display in the Sixers’ loss to Orlando on Monday. The Magic double-teamed Embiid and left McConnell virtually unguarded off the ball.
He brings the same offensive limitations Simmons does, with a better short-range jumper and none of the physical tools needed to overcome those deficiencies. He has always been a nice change of pace in limited minutes, but he’s not a good backup point guard on a good team.
The Sixers haven’t made an effort to upgrade yet, though. Perhaps they don’t need to. It appears as though Shake Milton, the reigning 54th overall pick, might provide the solution beyond 2019.
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After finishing his rookie season as the G-League’s second-leading scorer in Delaware, Milton migrated to the Sixers for the Orlando game. He dropped 13 points in 21 minutes, comfortably hitting pull-up jumpers and flashing his length on defense.
At 6-foot-6, Milton has a smooth three-point stroke, a well-rounded skill set and defensive upside McConnell simply doesn’t possess. He’s the perfect fit on paper. He could be the Sixers’ long-term backup.
Milton probably won’t get postseason run in 2019, as the Sixers should prefer to keep him under team control as long as possible. That would mean keeping him on a two-way contract until next season before converting it to a standard, four-year rookie deal (if possible).
At the moment, Milton has shown enough in the G-League and his brief NBA appearances to assume that he’s at least a moderate upgrade over McConnell. Even with his lack of experience and need for defensive growth, size and athleticism alone give him a presence T.J. can’t replicate.
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The Sixers will undoubtedly search the market for more depth next summer, but Milton might be the answer to backup point guard next season. He’s cheap, under team control at the moment, and currently sits at 22 years old.