3 goals for Sixers guard Shake Milton: Replace Simmons in starting five
It appears increasingly likely that Ben Simmons’ holdout will extend into the regular season as the Sixers work to find a suitable trade partner. That being the case, Doc Rivers will have to improvise — starting with Simmons’ replacement in the starting five.
The talk all summer has been about Tyrese Maxey’s looming breakout, and generally speaking, there’s a good reason for that. Maxey was better than Milton when it mattered most last season, and his work ethic would suggest even more growth is on the immediate horizon. That said, Milton averaged 23.2 minutes per game last season, compared to only 15.3 for Maxey.
Doc Rivers is a notoriously stubborn coach who has sung the praises of Milton at nearly every turn. He is the only coach on God’s green earth that would have even considered playing Shake Milton in the fourth quarter of a win-or-go-home Game 7 last season, and yet… Milton was indeed playing in the fourth quarter of Game 7 against Atlanta. Expecting Rivers’ faith in Milton to dissipate entirely is, well, not consistent with Rivers’ coaching resumé.
I am not saying Milton is the favorite to start in Simmons’ place. Maxey is the better player and has earned the confidence of everyone in Philadelphia. That said, Milton is older, has starting experience, and can replicate some of Simmons’ size on the defensive end — even if he’s not a quarter of the defender Simmons is, as previously noted. That’s probably an intriguing collection of facts if you’re Doc Rivers, especially if you think Maxey is better served as the sixth man, where he can carry the offense in lineups without Embiid.
In order to accomplish this goal, Milton will need to put on a real show in training camp. With Simmons absent, he should have every opportunity to put on that show. Again, for clarification, Maxey should (and probably will) start in lieu of Simmons, but Milton is a real name to watch. I think the general Sixers discourse is too flagrantly ignoring Milton, who essentially led the bench all of last season and sort of plays Simmons’ position.