Sixers storylines to watch: Rotation shake up
Tyrese Maxey played 11 minutes in Saturday’s Game 3 win. That was more than Shake Milton (10) and Furkan Korkmaz (9), marking a significant evolution in Doc Rivers’ gameplan. While the Sixers’ coach has not committed to permanent change, it does appear that Maxey is the Sixers’ No. 2 guard in the second unit behind George Hill.
That is a good and necessary change, as Maxey has proven his mettle time and time again down the stretch this season. His quickness and dribble penetration is a valuable weapon offensively, and his defense continues to turn heads. He is flat-out better than Shake Milton.
As for Milton, his short-term future is very much is question. At some point, as the competition get tighter, Rivers will need to shorten the rotation. If Maxey maintains his edge — and the Hawks are a Maxey-ready matchup on paper — then Milton may soon find his minutes at zero. That’s a pretty big shift in narrative from before the season, when some expected him to take “the next step” or win Sixth Man of the Year.
Milton has averaged 3.0 points, 1.3 assists, and 2.3 turnovers in 11.2 minutes per game this series. He’s shooting 16.7 percent from the floor, and has made one of four 3-point attempts. It looks pretty bleak for the third-year guard out of SMU. He will likely get more chances in the future, but his 2021 postseason could be remarkably uneventful.