Sixers’ Shake Milton wants to move on from last season, reprise role as second-unit spark plug

CLEVELAND — Shake Milton has a new look.

The 76ers guard has added 12 pounds of muscle to his now 6-foot-5, 220-pound frame. Milton’s also sporting a stylish, cornrow braids hairstyle.

But his play this preseason resembles what he did before battling through injuries a season ago. And that could be a good thing for the Sixers.

“I think he’s had a great camp overall, just the way he’s playing,” Tobias Harris said before Monday’s 113-97 exhibition victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. “He had a really good summer as well, working his butt off to get better. His frame, his body is stronger and is healthy overall, too, which is the main thing.”

Milton hit a lot of bumps in the road last season as injuries affected his performance.

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He supplanted Tyrese Maxey as the starting point guard last season after the first exhibition game. However, Milton sprained his right ankle at practice soon after and was sidelined the next 17 days. By the time he returned, Maxey had established himself as an offensive threat and a valuable starter.

Milton’s snakebitten season continued when he missed four games in December after testing positive for COVID-19. Then, adding insult to injury, Milton suffered what he originally thought was a back spasm during his second game back against the Houston Rockets on Jan. 3. He would miss the next 18 games, later learning that he suffered a small fracture.

Upon returning on Feb. 11, Milton struggled to consistently find his groove and appeared to be out of the team’s long-term plans. However, he was the most impressive player in the Sixers’ Game 6 loss to the Miami Heat in the second round of the NBA playoffs.

The Sixers ran their offense through the Oklahoma native, who scored 15 points on 6-for-8 shooting — which included a 3-of-4 mark on three-pointers, along with three assists, two steals, and a block.

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This offseason, the Sixers picked up Milton’s $1.99 million team option for the final year of his contract. And he already has repaid them by putting in tireless work to improve his game this summer.

In Wednesday’s 113-112 victory over the Cavs, Milton was the Sixers’ go-to scorer off the bench. He finished with 12 points on 6-for-13 shooting along with five assists, two steals, and a block. Milton continued where left off on Monday against Cleveland. He finished with 10 points on 5-for-8 shooting along with five rebounds, four assists a block.

That’s a role he hopes to excel in this season if called upon.

“I definitely want to be that,” he said. “I feel like I’m in a good position to do so. Seeing how the first unit is shaking out and coming into the game, my mindset and mentality is to be aggressive, create for myself, and create for others, too.”

That was the role Milton had two seasons ago, averaging career highs of 13.0 points and 3.1 assists in 66 games with four starts. That he is in position to regain that role after overcoming last season’s hurdles hasn’t gone unnoticed by teammates. They’ve also noticed the fact that he never sulked or made excuses about injuries impacting his play.

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“Big Shake energy,” said Georges Niang, who’s in his second year with the Sixers. “Since I’ve been here, I’ve never heard Shake complain. He just shows up every day and gets his work in.

“People don’t understand how tough injuries are. You are not yourself. … But I think when you can finally get back healthy and feel good, I think the sky’s the limit for this kid. We’re excited to see him play.”