5. Shake Milton
PRESEASON RANKING: 14
I’m missing a lot of aspects of Sixers basketball right now. However, I’m not missing the sloppy turnover games or getting notifications that another player will be out for an unknown amount of time. What’s been wracking my brain constantly during quarantine, is the fact that we won’t (or at least for a while) get to see how our sniper, Shake Milton, will finish out the NBA season.
Sixers fans weren’t too sure what Shake would ultimately bring to the table during the season, especially after he went down with a bone bruise and mild knee sprain back in October. As the former two-way star with the Delaware Blue Coats worked his way into the rotation, he eventually got his opportunity to shine.
In February, Ben Simmons injured his lower back and was predicted to miss basically the rest of the regular season. Shake entered the starting lineup and made some waves of his own. He began thriving on the court and exhibited that he deserved a significant role on the team. His confidence flowed through him and converted it into some remarkable performances.
The second-year guard made history as he tied for the most consecutive made three-pointers, hitting 13 straight over three games. It didn’t just stop there, he also set a new career-high for himself with 39 points against the Clippers. He shot 14-for-20 during the road game in March (though the Sixers went on to lose the game, 136-130).
It’s a huge disappointment that we won’t be able to truly experience how the rest of the season would have played out. Hopefully, we’ll get to see Shake bring his unique playmaking abilities and laser-focus shooting to the court soon.