{"id":115500,"date":"2025-01-01T14:56:42","date_gmt":"2025-01-01T19:56:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/?p=115500"},"modified":"2025-01-01T14:56:42","modified_gmt":"2025-01-01T19:56:42","slug":"lakers-guard-help-shake-milton","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2025\/01\/01\/lakers-guard-help-shake-milton\/","title":{"rendered":"How the Newest Lakers Guard Can Help Sooner Than Later"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Despite ending 2024 with a loss to the league-leading Cavaliers, the Lakers have a lot to look forward to in the new year, especially with the <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2024\/12\/30\/grade-the-trade-lakers-acquire-finney-smith-updated-cap-picks\/\" target=\"_self\">recent additions<\/a> of <\/span><a  href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/f\/finnedo01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Dorian Finney-Smith<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and <\/span><a  href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/m\/miltosh01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Shake Milton<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. The latter was perceived as a \u201cthrow-in\u201d compared to the team\u2019s need for wing depth, but Milton can serve as a key part of the Lakers\u2019 bench going forward, especially as another guard recovers from injury.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>How the Newest Lakers Guard Can Help Sooner Than Later<\/b><\/h2>\n<h3><b>Background<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Milton, the 54th pick in the 2018 NBA Draft, has grown into a reliable bench contributor. His best season came in 2020-21, when he averaged 13 points and three assists per game on .450\/.350\/.830 splits\u2014numbers that put him in the conversation for <\/span><a  href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/awards\/awards_2021.html#all_smoy\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">6th Man of the Year<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. Since then, however, he journeyed across the league, spending last season with the Timberwolves, Pistons, and Knicks before heading to the Nets in an offseason trade. After a solid 27-game campaign for a lottery-bound team, Milton returns to the franchise that gave him <\/span><a  href=\"https:\/\/nbaanalysis.net\/what-shake-milton-said-about-working-out-for-la-lakers-in-2018-shows-hes-exactly-what-the-team-needs\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">his first pre-draft workout<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In his Laker introduction, <\/span><a  href=\"https:\/\/lakersnation.com\/shake-milton-discusses-what-he-hopes-to-bring-to-lakers\/#google_vignette\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Milton<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> touched on what he can bring to the table:<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cJust trying to be myself. Be versatile, be a playmaker, knock down 3s, guard the ball. Just kind of be like a presence, especially in that second unit. Getting guys in the right spot and just being myself.\u201d<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The 28-year-old was decent in his purple and gold debut. He finished with six points on 2\/4 attempts from beyond the arc, as well as two rebounds.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Shake Milton Lakers Game Debut (Highlights)\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/onzlD2k30SY?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<h3><b>Milton\u2019s Playmaking Could be Pivotal<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Milton has shown he can put points on the board, having dropped <\/span><a  href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/m\/miltosh01\/gamelog\/2025\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">double-digits in seven of his final ten games with Brooklyn<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, including a <\/span><a  href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/LakersLegacyPod\/status\/1873427526179238362\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">20-point performance against the Bucks<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> the day after Christmas. Although he <a  href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/The_BBall_Index\/status\/1873427293030453309\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">helps the Lakers&#8217; shooting and defense<\/a>, Milton can also make an immediate impact as a facilitator for the second unit.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Milton has experience playing out of position. In his final game as a Net, he dished a season-high 12 assists against the Spurs on Dec. 27 (to go along with 16 points). He has also had experience as a lead guard with the 76ers, <\/span><a  href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/Sixerdaily\/status\/1668039498419126273\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">filling the role<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> when <\/span><a  href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/h\/hardeja01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">James Harden<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and <\/span><a  href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/m\/maxeyty01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Tyrese Maxey<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> were injured in Nov. 2022. Milton says he expects playmaking to factor into his role as a Laker, part of the versatile skill set he offers.<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cI definitely do. whether it\u2019s me being on the ball, attacking the paint, creating for myself, creating for others, or whether it\u2019s me spotting up and shooting 3s. I think I\u2019m gonna be able to do whatever the team needs me to do and I think that will be one of my strong suits, especially coming in that second unit and being able to get guys open shots or playing with Gabe or any of those guys.\u201d<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Fans can&#8217;t expect Milton to record double-digit dimes every game, but his passing can play an integral role in his contributions to the Lakers bench. The team needs to fill in gaps left by <\/span><a  href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/r\/russeda01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">D\u2019Angelo Russell<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. With <\/span><a  href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/r\/reaveau01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Austin Reaves<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> unlocking a new level as a starting point guard and <\/span><a  href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/v\/vincega01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Gabe Vincent<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> sidelined with an oblique injury, Milton will need to step up as a playmaker for the time being. Some speculated <\/span><a  href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2024\/12\/29\/sports\/shake-milton-has-shot-to-be-another-point-guard-solution-for-nets\/?utm_campaign=nypost&amp;utm_source=twitter&amp;utm_medium=social\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">he could be Brooklyn\u2019s backup point guard<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> after that 12-assist outing. But now, he has an opportunity to fill that role for the Lakers\u2014even if it\u2019s just in spurts.<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Shake Milton had 12 assists his last game for the Nets.<\/p>\n<p>About 7 of those assists were fraudulent lol (pass to a dude who takes 4 dribbles into a layup fraudulent).<\/p>\n<p>So he\u2019s def not a Point Guard.<\/p>\n<p>But he can at least handle the ball &amp; organize\/facilitate in a pinch. <a  href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/fnwlLlGzAg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/fnwlLlGzAg<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Lakers Legacy (@LakersLegacyPod) <a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/LakersLegacyPod\/status\/1873450809280868708?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">December 29, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<h3><b>Vincent in Trade Rumors Adds to Milton\u2019s Importance<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The case for Shake Milton as a point guard is reasonable in the short term, but that could change if the <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2024\/12\/31\/lakers-rumors-next-steps-finney-smith-trade-walker-kessler\/\" target=\"_self\">Lakers<\/a> make more upgrades. HoopsHype Mike Scotto <\/span><a  href=\"https:\/\/hoopshype.com\/lists\/nba-intel-lakers-warriors-nets-thunder-bulls-nuggets-grizzlies-pelicans-kings-raptors-clippers\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">wrote<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> that the Lakers are continuing to include Vincent in trade talks for a backup big man.<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201c<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Having acquired the wing defender they sought in Finney-Smith, the next item for the Lakers on their list is a backup center. The Lakers will continue to try and acquire Wizards center <\/span><b>Jonas Valanciunas<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> or another backup center on the trade market with their remaining future second-round draft capital, and <\/span><b>Gabe Vincent<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> is expected to be dangled in talks as well, league sources told HoopsHype.\u201d<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If Vincent is traded, that would leave the Lakers with two rotational point guards in Milton and Reaves, forcing them to bear the brunt of playmaking duties next to <\/span><a  href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/j\/jamesle01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">LeBron James<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and <\/span><a  href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/d\/davisan02.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Anthony Davis<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> (unless the team also went out and replenished the guard depth). However, it\u2019s important to remember those possibilities may not happen until closer to the February trade deadline, given the team\u2019s desire to evaluate the new-look roster.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For now, the focus around Milton should stay on his fit as a scorer and occasional play connector. He has showcased his versatility in a variety of situations, and he\u2019ll have more opportunities to do so with the Lakers\u2019 upgraded supporting cast around LeBron and AD.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Despite ending 2024 with a loss to the league-leading Cavaliers, the Lakers have a lot to look forward to in the new year, especially with the recent additions of Dorian Finney-Smith and Shake Milton. The latter was perceived as a \u201cthrow-in\u201d compared to the team\u2019s need for wing depth, but Milton can serve as a [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4265,"featured_media":115512,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1608,6,26,62,13],"tags":[240,4556,307,4921,444,38,3811,2478],"class_list":["post-115500","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-basketball","category-nets","category-lakers","category-nba","category-76ers","tag-anthony-davis","tag-austin-reaves","tag-dangelo-russell","tag-gabe-vincent","tag-james-harden","tag-lebron-james","tag-shake-milton","tag-tyrese-maxey"],"modified_by":"Jordan Pagkalinawan","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/115500","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4265"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=115500"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/115500\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":115517,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/115500\/revisions\/115517"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/115512"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=115500"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=115500"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=115500"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}