Sixers: 5 most promising players under 25

Sixers’ five most promising players under 25 — 4. Shake Milton

Like Paul Reed, Shake Milton was also a late second-round flyer: the team took him 54th overall in 2018. Though Milton feels like he’s been developing forever, somehow he’s still just 24 years old and able to qualify for this list (though not for long, with his birthday coming up soon on September 6).

Milton’s career has been an unquestionable success relative to his draft position, but when thrust into more demanding roles, the results have been inconsistent. After looking like a three-point sniper near the end of the 2019-20 season — he finished the year as one of the few bright spots on an underperforming roster, shooting 43 percent from beyond and recording a legendary Sixers outing when he scored 39 points against Paul George and Kawhi Leonard — Shake seemed primed to slide into a rotation role as a backup ball-handler.

His 2020-21 campaign, though, didn’t live up to the hype. While there were a few bright spots — most notably, Milton singlehandedly rescuing the Sixers late in a playoff game against the Hawks — his season was generally inconsistent and disappointing.

Shake finished the season in a deep slump, seemingly unable to beat defenders off the dribble and constantly exasperated with officiating or his own inability to make open shots. By the end of the Hawks series, Tyrese Maxey had supplanted his role in the rotation.

There’s still plenty of realistic strides Milton can make to improve his game. Becoming a more willing passer outside of the occasional lob to Dwight Howard (or now Andre Drummond) will help him earn playing time, and straightening out a jump shot that looked laborious at times last season can make him a legitimate microwave scorer off the bench.