Philadelphia 76ers: Shake Milton, Sixth Man of the Year favorite?

The Philadelphia 76ers have gotten award-worthy production out of Shake Milton.

The Philadelphia 76ers are 10-5, good for first place in the Eastern Conference. A lot of praise has been set aside for Joel Embiid, and deservedly so. Embiid is a candidate for MVP and one of the best two-way players in the sport. That said, he’s not the only Sixer making a compelling early-season awards case.

Shake Milton has continued his upward trajectory from last season, averaging 16.8 points and 3.5 assists in 26.8 minutes per game. He has averaged 23.6 points over his last five appearances, and has settled nicely into Doc Rivers’ famed sixth man role. He is the heir apparent to Lou Williams and Jamal Crawford — a nifty shot-creator who can carry the second unit and close games.

Rivers has spouted nothing but confidence in Milton’s game from the beginning, and the former second-round pick has delivered on the hype. Milton has been the Sixers’ second-best player for stretches this season. Aside from Embiid, he’s next in line as far as players Philadelphia goes to down the stretch of close games.

In addition to his impressive scoring average — which has bumped up to 23.6 points per game over Milton’s last five appearances — the 24-year-old is shouldering a difficult load with remarkable efficiency. He frequents unassisted shot attempts more than any other guard on the roster, and yet he’s shooting 49.6 percent from the field.

Milton has done much more than carry his hot shooting hand over from last season. He’s finishing at a higher rate inside, using his newly added strength to absorb contact, draw fouls, and finish among the trees. He’s averaging 7.7 foul shots per 100 possessions — nearly double his rate from last season. Milton is using his slick handles, broad shoulders, and long arms to compromise defenders and put himself in the best position to score.

It would still behoove the Sixers to add another high-level perimeter creator to the starting five — Tyrese Maxey is not ready for that duty — Milton is a solution to many of the problems that have ailed Philadelphia in the past. He lacks a degree of quickness and burst, but Milton has proven time and time again he is someone the Sixers can lean on to create his own offense. He’s crafty enough to offset his athletic limitations.

Despite his leap in production, Rivers seems content with Milton as the sixth man, rather than a starter. If he continues to helm the second unit, it’s natural to speculate about Milton’s chances in the awards race. He is easily a frontrunner for Sixth Man of the Year right now.

It’s too early, but we have enough of a sample size to acknowledge Milton’s productivity as real, not a fluke. Rivers is quick to use Milton in important moments, and he’s a regular source of Philadelphia’s biggest perimeter shots.

Right now, the competition for Sixth Man of the Year isn’t particularly stiff. Jordan Clarkson and Chris Boucher have been widely identified as Milton’s chief competitors. Clarkson is averaging 17.7 points and 1.9 assists on .485/.418/.955 shooting splits. Boucher is averaging 15.5 points and 6.6 rebounds on .594/.481/.784 shooting splits.

A lot can change between now and the end of the season, but it is clear these three are runaway favorites to compete for the award. While Milton doesn’t currently have the edge, the circumstances do favor him.

Whereas the Jazz are littered with perimeter creators — namely Donovan Mitchell and Mike Conley — who can close games, the Sixers are not. Milton is more “important” — a vague term, I’ll admit — to Philadelphia’s success than Clarkson is to Utah’s. As for Boucher, the Raptors are a losing team right now. It is early, yes, but the Raptors are tracking far behind the Sixers and Jazz at the moment.

Milton will continue to see his role expand as the season progresses. He is also likely to heat up from 3-point range — his 35.3 percent is fine, but he shot 43.0 percent from range last season — while the opposite is true for Clarkson, who has never spent a season above 36.8 percent prior to 2020-21.

This is a tight race and Milton is no shoo-in, but the odds are in his favor. It’s time to ramp up the Sixth Man of the Year campaign in Philadelphia.