Ranking every player on the Sixers roster — 8. Shake Milton
Shake Milton was vaulted into the starting five last season and entered 2020-21 with high expectations. Unfortunately, he has fallen well short of those expectations. After a brief Sixth Man of the Year campaign in the season’s first month, Milton was rocky and inconsistent. He shot a career-low 35.0 percent from deep and looked out of sorts as a playmaker.
Despite his struggles, Milton has remained an important part of the Sixers’ second unit. He’s still a capable shot-maker who, when hot, can elevate Philadelphia’s offense significantly. His length allows him to finish over and around smaller guards at the rim, while his pull-up jumper is a centerpiece of the second-unit offense.
The Sixers still got more than enough out of Milton relative to his contract. He’s a talented reserve for a bargain-bin price. That said, with the recent emergence of Tyrese Maxey and the acquisition of George Hill, he is under more pressure than ever to regain form and prove his mettle under new head coach Doc Rivers.
For now, Milton may lead the bench in minutes per game this postseason. He still has the confidence of teammates and the coaching staff. His 3-point shot improved in the season’s final month, and his archetype — a playmaking, 3-point shooting comboguard — is still exceedingly valuable to this roster.
— Christopher Kline