After logging just 39 total NBA minutes in 2019, G Shake Milton has been relegated to the 76ers G-League affiliate: the Delaware Blue Coats.
For those of you who didn’t already know, Milton had a MONSTER year for the Blue Coats last season. He led the team in scoring and ranked as one of the top scorers in the entire G-League, averaging 24.9 points per game.
His strong ability scoring the basketball seemed to make an impact on the Philadelphia front office this offseason, as they handed him a four-year contract extension worth just over $7 million. Milton started on the main roster this season and many expected him to play a somewhat significant role early on (including myself).
However, Milton went down early with a knee sprain in the team’s third game (October 28th). This injury seemingly led to Milton being forgotten about in the rotation. Since coming back from the sprain, Milton has failed to earn any sort of significant playing time.
Milton being sent back down to the “minor leagues” tells us two things. A) the team doesn’t have a role for him currently and B) the team is trying to “win now”. Along with Milton, the team has also already sent young players Zhaire Smith and Jonah Bolden down as well. With all three of these guys now destined for a year in Delaware, it’s clear the team is not interested in spending time developing kids on the main roster.
Despite turning some heads in the G-League and Summer League, Milton failed to ever make a serious impact in the NBA. He could find himself spending another season developing, or could even find himself used as a trade piece at the deadline.
Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
