What is going on with the Philadelphia 76ers’ sixth man Shake Milton?
Entering the season, the Philadelphia 76ers and their fans had high hopes for third-year guard Shake Milton. However, he’s not been lived up to the hype that has been built around him thus far early in the season.
To be fair, it’s not like Milton didn’t rightfully deserve the hype that has been growing around his game. He showed real promise during the second half of last season. After the All-Star break last year, Milton averaged 13.3 points on 50.0 percent from downtown.
He was a consistent threat during these last playoffs as well. Averaging 14.5 points per game on 40.0 percent of the 3-point line. Sadly, so far into this season, his production has taken a turn in the negative direction.
What needs to change for Milton and the Sixers.
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In the five games Milton has played in this season, he’s averaged 11.2 points, 2.6 assists, and 1.2 steals, while shooting just 26.3 from behind the arc. It should be noted his points and steals averages are career highs, while assists averages are tied with his career high.
While his 3-point shooting is well below expectations after last season’s showing, Milton isn’t playing like a true first option off the bench.
It’s true that he’s been averaging double digits this season, but it hasn’t pretty. He’s only converting 40.0 percent of his field goal attempts. On top of that, he’s only scored in double digits three out of five games.
Consistency is proving to be an issue for Milton this year. Part of the reason is that teams a better prepared to deal with the scoring threat that Milton has become. The other issue is that he isn’t getting a consistent amount of shot attempts.
He’s attempted 11, eight, six, 10, and 11 shots in the five games he’s played. Considering that he’s the first guy coming off the bench and either the fourth or fifth scoring option on the team as a whole, he needs to have a more consistent amount of shot attempts per game.
This slow start isn’t great for the Philadelphia 76ers or Milton, but his 3-point percentage should improve over time and he just has to be more aggressive and consistent getting his shot attempts.