The news of James Harden’s injury hit hard for the fans of the Philadelphia 76ers after the franchise has already had a slow start to the season. With Harden faced to miss significant time, the Sixers will have to rely on Shake Milton, as Christopher Kline of The Sixer Sense has recently pointed out in a piece.
Kline made excellent points on what Milton has to do for the franchise moving forward. The question that has surrounded Milton since becoming a rotational player is consistency. With that in mind, these next couple of weeks could very well shape the career path of the combo guard.
How Milton performs for the Philadelphia 76ers in Harden’s absence will shape his career.
The NBA is a “what have you done for me lately” league and Milton’s recent track record hasn’t been the best. When he first came into the 76ers’ rotation, it was thought he would be an elite sixth man, but that version of Milton hasn’t been seen much of late.
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Last season he struggled with injury and his outside shot. His 3-point shooting percentage has been decreasing each season since the 2019-20 season. Without a reliable outside shot, Shake isn’t very useful in most teams’ rotations as he’s not a natural point guard or defender either.
If Milton can show to be a consistent outside shooter and a solid playmaker then he should be able to earn a solid contract and role next offseason with the Philadelphia 76er or another team. If not, then he might be fighting for a roster spot next training camp.