The NBA offseason has been eventful from its opening moments this year. Already we’ve seen the Houston Rockets hand out giant contracts to veterans to jumpstart their rebuild. The Washington Wizards traded Bradley Beal to the Phoenix Suns, who are creating a super team. And Damian Lillard and James Harden have requested trades.
The Minnesota Timberwolves have had a relatively quiet offseason thus far compared to the rest of the league. Per Chris Haynes, the Wolves reportedly made a call to the Portland Trail Blazers to see what it would take to get Lillard. However, this mostly seems like the front office doing their due diligence, and Haynes said the option was “eliminated.” Still a quiet free agency is to be expected for Minnesota. For the last several years, the Wolves maintained a roster that was near the cap so they can have as much talent on the team as possible. Also, holding cap space is mostly pointless unless you’re one of the few big-market teams that can attract the big-name free agents.
However, the Wolves still managed to find a way to address one of their biggest offseason needs, signing Shake Milton to add guard depth. Milton is a 6’5” combo guard who played his first five years for the Philadelphia 76ers. He’s known for his ability to score in bunches. Shake’s real name is Malik. His nickname is an extension of his father Myron’s nickname “Milk Man,” which he got when he played basketball for Texas A&M. According to CBS Sports, the nickname Shake was born before Malik himself was born. A family friend asked his mother Lisa “How is little Shake doing?” when she was pregnant.
Not only is Shake one of the best nicknames in the NBA, but it’s a name that is representative of his game even though the family friend created it before he ever touched a ball. Shake is partially known for his adept handles, and his ability to “shake” defenders off the dribble to get an open lane to the rim. He is also great at weaving through defenders who collapse to the paint to try to help defend. His highlight reel is full of impressive euro-steps and mid-drive momentum adjustments.
Milton is also a great finisher once he gets to the rim. He has great body control, and can make in-air adjustments to his shot angle to get around the outstretched arms of defenders. Shake also has great touch on a variety of different layup styles that help him score over tall defenders including reverses and floaters. He shot 62.9% in the restricted area last year.
Shake is also a threat to score in the mid-range, where he shot 42.6% last year. He’s excellent at stopping on a dime and pulling up to create space for himself when defenders don’t expect it. Milton’s three point shot is smooth, and he has the range to hit them from well beyond the arc.
Last season, he shot 40.9% in the 25 to 29 foot range, which is at least a foot beyond the three-point line at the top of the key. He shot 37.8% overall from beyond the arc last year. His three-point shooting percentage fluctuates quite a bit from season to season because he’s not a high volume shooter, but he’s a career 36.5% (which is above league average) and had a peak season of 43%. When Shake gets hot, he has the potential to light up the scoreboard. Last year, he scored a career-high 39 points on 7 of 9 shooting from three.
His offensive ability and versatility should make Milton a great fit in Minnesota. Last year, the Wolves were in dire need of a guard who could consistently generate points off the bench when Anthony Edwards was resting. There were too many games where the offense would stagnate or no one could hit a shot in Ant’s absence and the gravity he creates on the court. Jaylen Nowell and Taurean Prince could heat up in a hurry and had some incredible games. However, they both also had some really rough cold streaks that lasted much longer than expected and would often hurt the team’s ability to keep up in bench minutes.
Milton proved himself as a bench scorer with the Philadelphia 76ers, and he should be able to step into that role for the Wolves and contribute right away. However, signing Shake isn’t only wise because he’s a consistent bench scorer. Milton also has some sneaky upside as a starter if the Wolves face injuries. Or if Mike Conley, who will be 36 next season, needs to rest in back-to-back games.
Shake isn’t known as a point guard, but he’s a solid passer and had some great pick-and-roll chemistry with Montrezl Harrell. Milton should be able to work similar PNRs with Naz Reid, who’s great at hard rolling to the basket like Harrell. Shake should be able to handle point guard minutes, especially in lineups with other hybrid guards like Kyle Anderson and Ant.
Milton has had some incredible performances when the Sixers gave him the opportunity to play more minutes. Last season, Shake started eight games without James Harden or Tyrese Maxey playing. In those games, Shake averaged 21.3 points and 6.0 assists with a 65.7 true shooting percentage.
Shake was stuck behind two incredible guards in Philadelphia. As a result, he had an inconsistent role and little opportunity to prove what he could do in more minutes. Even before Harden arrived, Shake had to play behind Ben Simmons who, let us not forget, was an All-NBA level player at the time. It’s entirely possible that in an expanded role, Shake could show things he never got the opportunity to in Philadelphia.
Since the Timberwolves hired Tim Connelly last year, they have been doing a good job of identifying free agents who may have been under-appreciated in their previous role. Connelly has enticed them to come to Minnesota with an opportunity for more minutes. During the draft, Connelly referred to looking for “market inefficiencies” and players he believes are looked over because of their situation or opportunity. He seems to bring that philosophy to free agency, too.
For example, in Kyle Anderson’s two seasons before joining the Timberwolves, he saw his role diminish in Memphis from 27.3 minutes as a starter, to 21.5 minutes mostly off the bench. The Wolves had a big need for a glue guy like Slow Mo, and offered him an opportunity for more minutes if he could flourish in his role. As we know, Anderson played incredibly. He vaulted back up to 28.4 minutes per game and likely earned himself an extension or a better contract in free agency.
Shake will have the opportunity that Anderson had to step into a bigger role on a team that sorely needs a player with his skill set. If he can succeed in that expanded role, then he too could raise his profile around the league by taking a leap now that he’s not stuck behind Harden and Maxey. Similarly, he could be an invaluable role player for the Wolves as a bench scorer and maybe the backup point guard.
