Shake Milton got overshadowed when the Los Angeles Lakers acquired him and Dorian Finney-Smith from the Brooklyn Nets a few weeks before the NBA trade deadline.
Milton was a throw-in to the deal to help the Nets shed salary and make the money work to receive Finney-Smith. Milton initially got a chance to carve out a spot in head coach JJ Redick’s rotation, but his inconsistent play eventually led to his benching.
However, with the Lakers dealing with several injuries Milton has gotten a chance to prove himself again and he’s started to show more signs of life. He had his best game with Los Angeles in the loss to the Denver Nuggets, scoring 16 points off the bench on an efficient 7-of-11 shooting performance from the field. He also had five rebounds, three assists and one steal in 28 minutes.
Milton, along with several other bench players, made a statement in the losing effort and he credited himself and his teammates for trying their best to win, as seen on Spectrum SportsNet:
“I mean, there’s no moral victories or anything like that. We play the game to win the game, so guys are disappointed. At the same time, I thought for a lot of guys on the roster, it was an opportunity to get in there and play. I think above all else, we just wanted to show that we can play hard and play together and give ourselves a fighting chance.”
Milton also acknowledged it felt good to find some offensive rhythm after not playing as much:
“It felt good. This is what you prepare for. Whether you’re playing or not, you’re constantly putting the work in to be ready for the opportunity you get. Tonight, I just tried to go out there and be aggressive and have fun, honestly. I love this game so just go out there and have fun and try to win.”
Los Angeles is pretty set at the guard position with Luka Doncic, Austin Reaves, Gabe Vincent and Jordan Goodwin, but Milton showed he can be a valuable depth piece when called upon. He likely won’t have much of a role once the team is healthy again, but it’s good to see him able to step up when needed.
