The Minnesota Timberwolves gave Jaylen Nowell the opportunity for a larger role last year when they traded fringe starter and sixth man Malik Beasley to the Utah Jazz in the Rudy Gobert deal. A second-round pick in 2019, Jaylen had shown some promise in the past three seasons. He delivered statistically, averaging 10.8 points in 19.3 minutes per game, both career highs. That wasn’t as perfect as it appears on paper, though. Nowell had many of the same shortcomings that lingered from prior seasons, specifically his defense and offensive ability off the ball.
Nowell only shot 28.9% from three on 3.6 attempts a game, which was below league average sitting in the 12th percentile for Combo Guards per Cleaning The Glass. However, multiple underlying statistics highlight how inconsistent he was. He shot 28.3% on catch-and-shoot three-point attempts on 2.1 attempts a game and 28.3% on “wide open” threes or attempts where no defender is within 6 feet on 1.6 attempts a game. Not ideal.
The Timberwolves sought out Shake Milton’s services this off-season to try to better fill Nowell’s role. They signed Milton to a two-year, $10 million deal, with the second year non-guaranteed. While the guard room needed an upgrade, the Wolves were again looking for someone to step into that role with little to no steam surrounding retaining Nowell or signing other guards.
Milton has had a similar route to the NBA as Nowell. He was a second-round selection going 53rd overall but he had to find his way on the roster, playing his first season on a two-way contract. He showed out enough in the G-League his first season averaging 25 PPG which earned him a 4-year rookie scale contract and a chance to work himself into the rotation.
Shake has some similarities to Nowell’s playstyle, too. Milton and Nowell are combo guards who love the mid-range jumper. While Shake isn’t as effective in this range as Nowell, he’s able to get to the rim and use his length much better than Nowell.
Here is how the two stack up statistically over their career thus far:
The Philadelphia 76ers gave Shake a consistent rotational role last season, though. He played in 76 games and started 11. However, he played a tertiary role as a guard, pairing with De’Anthony Melton to be the depth guards to James Harden and Tyrese Maxey. Shake had a solid season, showcasing talents that can bring more impact to the Wolves.
Here is how Nowell and Milton compare specifically in some key statistics:
It paints a clear picture of how Milton can impact the game with better and more valuable skills that teams seek in an off-ball guard. Specifically, the ability to knock down open threes when the defense leaves him alone and the ability to attack the basket when he’s one pass away from the primary ball-handler.
Milton will find ways to fit the secondary off-ball guard role much better than Nowell as he excels over him in all of these specific categories. Milton has a much more effective in-between game, too. His floater is a closer look than Nowell’s mid-range pull-ups and maximizes his 7-foot wingspan.
They both have similar downsides, though. Neither truly excels on the defensive side of the ball. Milton has more size, which is always intriguing, but he isn’t going to lock down opponents. However, the Wolves have other players they can put on scoring threats, relegating him to easier matchups.
All the Wolves truly need from Shake is for him to be able to handle everything that came from Nowell’s role this past season. However, he needs to maximize it more than Nowell di. If Shake can perform at that level, he will be a competent backup guard who can offer more tertiary strengths to the floor than Nowell could.
Milton is essentially on a one-year deal since the second year is a non-guarantee. Even if he doesn’t fit perfectly into the Nowell role, having more guard experience around will help Minnesota’s roster. That was something that hindered the Wolves immensely this past season. The blueprint is set for Shake to fill Nowell’s role and do more with it.
