Sixers: 3 players who have improved next to James Harden

3 Sixers who have improved next to James Harden — Shake Milton

On the surface, this is a strange choice. Shake Milton is now situated firmly behind James Harden and Tyrese Maxey in the guard rotation, and as of now he’s not entirely guaranteed a spot in the postseason rotation. That said, it shouldn’t take much longer for Milton to cement his place in Doc Rivers’ perimeter hierarchy.

For a few games running, Milton has seen more minutes than both Danny Green and Furkan Korkmaz. While the Sixers would ideally be able to rely on two high-volume shooters, neither has been particularly productive of late — even with Harden generating open looks and running second-unit groups on the regular. Milton, on the other hand, has looked comfortable in a smaller, more defined role.

Finally, Shake Milton is playing his natural position — that of an NBA wing. At 6-foot-6, Milton has the size and length (7-foot-1 wingspan) to match up with traditional small forwards and shooting guards. Given his lack of quickness and burst, that is actually his best position defensively.

On offense, the same can be said. Milton has never been a natural point guard. He doesn’t have the first step necessary to beat most defenders at the point of attack, and his passing instincts are subpar. Now, he’s playing next to at least one high-level ball handler at all times, attacking off the catch and facing rotating, out-of-position defenders.

Milton is far from perfect, and his 3-point percentage this season (28.7 percent) is a valid point of concern. That said, he’s well placed as the third “guard” (or first wing) off the bench. He should get every opportunity to overtake the struggling Korkmaz when the games start to count.