The Los Angeles Lakers made two new acquisitions over the weekend in a trade with the Brooklyn Nets. The first was forward Dorian Finney-Smith, a prototypical 3-and-D wing that the Lakers have been on the radar of for quite some time. The more under-the-radar acquisition, though, was guard Shake Milton.
Milton, 28, is in his seventh NBA season and the Lakers represent his sixth team. Milton spent the first five seasons of his career with the Philadelphia 76ers. And now with the Lakers, he becones what is effectively a replacement in the rotation for D’Angelo Russell, although Austin Reaves is now likely to get the bulk of the ball-handling responsibilities.
It’s unclear exactly how much of Russell’s minutes Milton will take, but he is very confident on the playstyle he wants to bring to L.A.
“Just trying to be myself. Be versatile, be a playmaker, knock down 3s, guard the ball,” Milton said. “Just kind of be like a presence, especially in that second unit. Getting guys in the right spot and just being myself.”
One concern for the Lakers after this trade is that they may be lacking in some playmaking depth by replacing Russell with Milton. But the veteran guard isn’t concerned about that and he feels he brings some playmaking chops to the table.
“I definitely do. whether it’s me being on the ball, attacking the paint, creating for myself, creating for others, or whether it’s me spotting up and shooting 3s,” Milton said. “I think I’m 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. It’s fun being around guys who know how to play ball too, you know what I’m saying? So you kind of are just reading each other, feeling the game. It’s fun to be out there like that.”
Milton gave his initial reaction to the trade and how he’s feeling now that he’s in the building.
“I don’t know, man. Your mind just kind of goes everywhere, you know what I mean? What’s funny is I kind of did some things that I don’t normally do before that trip. I don’t know, I wasn’t expecting it or anything like that, but once you realize where you’re going, you need a second to kind of take it all in. But I’m super excited to be here. This is a crazy feeling, honestly.
“Shoot, all of it,” Milton said of any surreal moments. “Pulling up to the facility, meeting Rob out front. Every time you see 8 and 24, of course. Meeting all the guys, Bron, AD, everybody, coaching staff. Just trying to take a moment and just be present in it. Seeing that purple and gold that I grew up watching when I was younger. It’s really surreal but it feels good.”
The Lakers would love for Milton to end up being an impactful piece from this trade beyond just Finney-Smith. He has shown throughout his career the level of impact he can have in smaller doses, and the Lakers may be a perfect place for him to flourish given the team’s new needs.
Shake Milton remembers working out for Lakers
The Lakers brought Shake Milton in for a pre-draft workout before the guard was taken with 54th overall in the 2018 NBA Draft. Now that he’s with the Lakers, it’s fun for him to look back on that memory.
“I do. That was in 2018. I remember that, that was my first workout I think too. Pretty crazy.”
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