thelesterlee
The New York Knicks are currently 35-25 and desperately holding onto the 4th seed in the East despite their entire roster struggling to stay on the court. But as they limp to the playoffs, impatiently waiting for everyone’s injuries to heal, they add Shake Milton to the squad for some guard depth.
ESPN Sources: Shake Milton is planning to sign with the New York Knicks upon clearing waivers. Milton agreed to a contract buyout with Detroit and will be eligible for the Knicks’ playoff roster. Guard gives immediate help to an injury-riddled roster. pic.twitter.com/iYDlp32kus
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) March 2, 2024
What does Shake Milton bring to the New York Knicks?
Milton and the Detroit Pistons agreed to a contract buyout on Friday after only 4 games with the team. He started the season in Minnesota and this year, Shake was averaging 6.8 points and 4.5 rebounds in limited minutes.
The best and most important quality he brings to the Knicks is that he’s battle-tested.
The first 5 seasons of his NBA career were formed in the embers of the Philadelphia 76ers dumpster fires. Milton was there when Kawhi Leonard made a miracle game-winning shot that bounced off the rim 7,000 times before going in.
He was there when 7-foot Ben Simmons was terrified of going up over 3-foot Trae Young and subsequently, he was there when Doc Rivers immediately threw Simmons under the bus for no reason.
Milton was there when both James Harden and Joel Embiid allowed the Celtics to come back from a 2-3 hole because they started playing like they didn’t understand that they needed to score more points than the Celtics.
Shake Milton has been in the trenches every year of his NBA career both against the Celtics, Bucks and Heat, as well as in his own locker room.
Shake Milton is a steady hand who makes the right plays and rarely makes the bone-headed mistakes that crush a team.
With Julius Randle, OG Anunoby, and Mitchell Robinson out indefinitely and Isaiah Hartenstein nursing an achilles injury, the Knicks need guys to just eat innings to keep the team at the top of the East while guys heal.
Jalen Brunson is too valuable to be playing 40+ minutes a night in games the Knicks are barely winning because there isn’t a backup point guard on the roster. Plus, according to Becky Hammon, he is a tiny little pocket-sized man so the Knicks should be doing everything they can to reduce any unnecessary wear and tear on their star.
What’s the worst-case scenario with Shake Milton?
Have you seen Alec Burks and Bojan Bogdanovic since they arrived from Detroit?
Fuck it, Alec Burks lowlights pic.twitter.com/AhA9yypxnq
— 𝕊𝕙𝕒𝕏 (@knicks_hive) March 1, 2024
Alec Burks has been on the Knicks for like, 3 weeks and one of those weeks was the All-Star break, and there’s already a 2-minute long compilation of him playing like absolute dog shit. Burks is shooting 31% from the field. All he sees is a green light and it’s blinding him from actually seeing the rim.
Bojan Bogdanovic is shooting the ball better than Burks but defensively, the Knicks are playing 4-on-5 with him on the floor. Bogdanovic is the dangerous combination of having slow motion reflects and reactions, having the athletic quickness of a cadaver, and just straight up not paying attention.
The biggest potential problem with Shake Milton is that he played 4 games in Detroit.
The Detroit Pistons set an NBA record, losing 28 straight basketball games this season. Alec Burks and Bojan Bogdanovic came to the Knicks and brought that losing stench with them. Shake Milton may have bathed in the Michigan waters of failure. His DNA may have been altered playing under the dim, dim lights of Little Caesar’s Arena.
Oh, also there’s a reason why Shake Milton isn’t playing for the No. 1 seeded Minnesota Timberwolves anymore: he sucks this year.
Shake is shooting 40% from the field and 27% from 3. You could make the argument his shooting is struggling from inconsistent playing time OR you could make the argument he hasn’t gotten consistent playing time because he can’t shoot.
I reckon, the best-case scenario is the Knicks get healthy leading to Alec Burks and Bojan Bogdanovic seeing their roles reduced so they won’t have the opportunity to make as many mistakes as they currently are andddd Shake Milton sits on the bench next to Jalen Brunson’s dad and Obi Toppin’s brother and he never touches the court.
Is Shake Milton going to help the New York Knicks going to win a championship? Leave a comment below. Respond on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram. Or shoot me an email at Deadseriousmailbag@gmail.com. Let’s chat, bay-beeeee. Let me know if you think Shake Milton even matters.
