The NBA regular season is in full swing, the league pattern is beginning to take shape, and the competition in the East is unprecedentedly fierce. So far, the Green Army leads the East with a 15-4 record over the Bucks (13-5), and the gap between the second gradient formed by the Cavaliers, Pacers, Hawks, 76ers and others is minimal. Among these teams, the Philadelphia 76ers suffered the league's worst injury, Harden, the Great, and Maxi all suffered injuries, and there was nowhere to say bleak. In Lao Li's words, there is no other way under adversity, they can only rely on surprise soldiers to steal victory! The 76ers didn't sit still, especially Milton, who shone after entering the starting lineup!
27 points + 22 points + 24 points, Harden received a golden partner
The 76ers set sail again, the lineup was armed to the teeth, but the chemistry was really not flattering! In general, Harden finished the Maxi show, Maxi showed the emperor show, and the Big Three could not form a joint force, and the record fluctuated greatly. More unfortunately, Harden suffered a tendon strain in his right foot against the Wizards and has not yet returned; Maxi suffered a minor fracture of his left foot against the Bucks and will be injured for at least a month; Immediately afterwards, the emperor was mistakenly injured by teammate Niang against the Timberwolves and sprained the middle of his left foot, and is expected to return at the same time as Harden! The 76ers are full of wounded soldiers, but the game will continue, Harris, Melton, Tucker, Milton and other tough guys are lightly injured and cannot get out of the line of fire, and the 76ers are playing more like a whole, attacking reasonably and defending resolutely!
With Harden Maxi injured with two engines, Milton regained the trust of the old man, and he did a good job of attacking and organizing at the back! Playing against the Timberwolves, Milton started 38 minutes for the first time this season and scored 27 points; Playing Nets, Milton started 36 minutes, contributing 16 points + 6 rebounds + 5 assists; Playing the Hornets, Milton started 38 minutes, scoring 22 points + 7 rebounds + 9 assists; Playing Magic, Milton started 41 minutes and scored 24 points + 9 rebounds + 10 assists. It can also be seen from Milton's playing time that the 76ers and Lao Li have become dependent on him! In the words of fans, Milton is integrated in attack and defense, and his organizational skills are also good, and he can become Harden's golden partner and reduce the burden for Harden!
With an annual salary of just $2 million, Milton proved himself
In the past few seasons, Milton has gone from being a water cooler administrator to an important member of the 76ers rotation with his tenacious fighting spirit and offensive and defensive output, writing an inspirational story of a second-round pick. At present, Milton has one year left on his contract and only $2 million in salary, so it makes sense that he should go all out to contribute his energy to the 76ers' championship, and he also needs to pave the way for the next big contract with more convincing performances and statistics. However, before Harden and Maxi were injured, Milton had been pressed on the bench by Lao Li, and even the fans couldn't stand it! In the game that Milton came off the bench, he played a pitiful number of minutes and shots, and fortunately, Milton took advantage of Harden Maxi's injury to prove himself again!
Throughout the 4 games that Milton started, he is still the same teenager who never admits defeat, full of energy! Overall, Milton has a better scoring ability than Melton, he can use speed to impact the opponent's defense, and can also complete efficient finishes on the outside; At the same time, Milton is more willing to share the ball than Maxi, he has a certain big picture and ability to read the defense, and he is willing to make a wedding dress for his teammates. Even 76ers coach Lao Li was "convinced" by Milton, and his remarks in an interview were more or less Versailles, he said bluntly: I am willing to think that he is just a shooter, I never thought he could still pass a good ball, this is really great!
The season is long, health is king, don't be stubborn in the old days
In a sense, the three giants of Harden, the Emperor, and Maxi take turns to stop and have a certain relationship with "overwork"! So far this season, Harden has averaged 36.7 minutes per game, the Great has averaged 35.3 minutes per game, Maxi has averaged 36.3 minutes per game, and Lao Li's dependence on the Big Three has reached an outrageous point. Harden has been unhealthy and aged for the past two seasons; The emperor's health problems throughout his career, in the words of fans, Lao Li's way of employing people is not lost to Nash, and the regular season is eager to open the seven-man rotation, is it possible that the 76ers will bring in role players such as Melton, Tucker, House, Tucker in the offseason to be reserved for the playoffs?
The season is long, health is king, don't be stubborn anymore, expanding the roster rotation is the way to survive and the long-term solution! As of now, the 76ers still rank first in the league in bench points (25.7 points), which is not difficult to see how much Lao Li relies on the starting star. During the injury period of the Big Three, the role players led by Milton proved that they all have the power to fight, they are all fighters who can fight when they are called, even if Harden Maxi returns from injury, Lao Li should reduce the burden on the main team and give these role players some trust and opportunities! Fans, what do you think about this? Come leave me a comment to discuss it.