Sixers vs. Spurs: 3 things to watch for as Sixers look to rebound

3. Shake’s rebound

We have to talk about Shake.

Shake was not good in Saturday’s loss. In fact, he was demonstrably the worst player on the floor. He scored zero points in 19 minutes, tallied five fouls, and managed to upset Joel Embiid. Milton getting into a sideline argument with the team’s superstar in his first career start is not what you want.

At no point did Milton look the part of a serviceable point guard, much less a starter. And while it’s important not to overreact to one game, there’s no doubt Milton’s leash is much shorter than it was when he arrived in Orlando. Another bad performance, and Milton starts to run a real risk of getting benched.

Milton has essentially two months of consistent NBA basketball under his belt. He’s a second-round pick who spent most of his rookie year in the G-League, and he missed a chunk of this season to injury. Now is as good a time as any to temper expectations.

And yet, even with such a small sample size, there’s reason to believe in Shake. He should only get better from this point on, and I’m willing to bet on his shooting. He might be the Sixers’ most efficient 3-point threat, which alone carries tremendous value.

This is a solid chance for Milton to prove his mettle. He will probably face some mixture of Dejounte Murray, Derrick White, and Lonnie Walker IV, all of whom can defend. If Milton is going to prove his worth, it ought to be sooner than later.