The Philadelphia 76ers’ new-look starting five didn’t get off to the smoothest start in Orlando.
The Philadelphia 76ers’ first game inside the NBA’s Orlando bubble was a dud. Despite an impressive 41-point, 21-rebound performance from Joel Embiid, the Sixers never managed to establish a rhythm. To make matters worse, T.J. Warren carried the shorthanded Pacers by way of 53 highly efficient points.
As Warren scorched the nets, the Sixers tried to haphazardly ride Embiid’s coattails, to no avail. Ben Simmons underwhelmed, Al Horford once again struggled in the second unit, and above all else, the Sixers’ new “backcourt” was a mess.
Pretty much everyone struggled in the backcourt. Josh Richardson mustered only four points, and Alec Burks committed four turnovers due to some maddeningly lazy passes. The only non-egregiously bad guard for Philadelphia was Raul Neto, who registered a +14 in 20 minutes.
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The most egregiously bad, however, was Shake Milton. The Sixers’ newly minted starting point guard looked more like a character in Richard Linklater’s 1993 film Dazed and Confused than a reliable starter. He was lost on defense, equally lost on offense, and never managed to subdue a lingering air of unpreparedness. He simply did not look ready to be on the floor in a competitive environment.
Milton was awful in the first quarter, including a sequence in which he died on a screen — leading to an easy Indiana basket — before turning the ball over in the backcourt while actively chirping at Joel Embiid, his teammate. He had his head turned! And was talking! While dribbling the ball against T.J. McConnell! Unacceptable.
This resulted in a heated exchange between Milton and Embiid on the sideline, in which Milton appeared to call Embiid a “m—f—,” which Embiid followed up with a threat to “slap the s—” out of Shake. For a team that has struggled to build chemistry on the court, I’m sure the Sixers’ preferred outcome for their first quarter of basketball in four months was not “fists almost thrown on the sideline.”
After the first quarter, Milton was benched in favor of Raul Neto to start the second. When Milton did eventually get back on the floor, he was plagued by foul trouble. He picked up his fourth foul seven seconds into the third quarter. The result was 19 scoreless minutes for Milton, whereas Neto played 20 minutes.
In 19 minutes, Milton missed his only shot attempt, accumulated five fouls, and managed to upset the Sixers’ best player. Some would consider this a death blow — the type of singularly abysmal performance that can land someone as unexperienced as Shake back on the bench. However, I’m not sure the Sixers — nor the fanbase — should move so quickly to demote Milton.
Brett Brown said it best after the game: sometimes, families fight. And it’s true. Even close friends can get chippy every now and then, especially on the basketball court. I’ve played two-on-two with my brother as a teammate. I understand the frustration one can feel towards a loved one on the basketball court.
Obviously Embiid and Milton aren’t brothers, but they are friends, or at the very least teammates. This brief exchange on the sideline shouldn’t amount to much, and it’s no indication of overarching chemistry concerns. Embiid has been a vocal proponent of Milton since the team arrived in Orlando. Expect this to blow over soon, if it hasn’t already.
As for his performance, we have two months of solid, consistent basketball out of Milton to draw from. Obviously the sample size for Milton’s success is small, but that small sample size cannot be disregarded after a single game (a much, much smaller sample size). This was a rough game for Milton — the kind where a player can’t really do anything right. He’s young, and slumps are natural, but expect Milton to bounce back. He’s better than this game would indicate.
The Sixers should not abandon ship yet. Milton should still line up as the starting point guard for Monday’s showdown with the San Antonio Spurs. If Milton continues to get roasted and toasted on both ends, then we can start a dialogue about his future in the rotation. But one bad game isn’t enough to ignore months of promising development.