Philadelphia 76ers: Positives from the California road trip

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(Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images) /

Takeaways of the positive variety from the Philadelphia 76ers’ road swing.

1-3 after a California road trip. Not exactly the record you want to see from a ball club that is supposed to be contending for a title, especially with teams like Sacramento and Golden State at the end of the trip.

However, when you couple that with the fact that the LA teams will likely be playing the Western Conference Finals at the end of May, and the state of the injured Philadelphia 76ers, one win isn’t too bad. It feels largely negative, but there is a litany of moral victories to take away from the west coast roadie.

With the playoffs looming it is important to remain as positive as possible with this team. Let’s dive into some of that positivity.

Shake Milton

SHAKE MILTON! Shakesanity! A star in the making hidden at the bottom of the Sixer’s bench!

From a basketball perspective Shake has all the tools to be a key contributor to this Sixers team, and he put all of that on full display in the Clippers game. Shake has proven he can handle the ball, get to the cup, create his own shot, and create for others coming off the pick-and-roll.

It’s a massive stretch on such a small sample size, but Shake’s game reminds me a little of James Harden. Both players are methodical with the dribble. They put you on their hip, get to their spot and finish. Shake shot a combined 31-for-53 from the field and 13-for-23 from three-point land during the trip. That’s 58 percent from the field and 57 percent from three.

Kawhi Leonard and Paul George, two of the league’s superstar defenders, could do nothing to stop Shake from reaching a career-high 39 points. He shot over them, drove right by them, and finished at the rim, and found his teammates in rhythm. He was brilliant.

He is currently under an extremely friendly four-year contract. He is going to be a key part of the Sixers for the reminder of the season and in the future. Congrats Shake, it was fun to watch. Can’t wait to see what you are going to do next!