Shake Milton, spoke to Basketball Sphere about the course of preparations so far and his move to the Partizan.
Shake Milton arrived in Belgrade as a major reinforcement, coming directly from the Los Angeles Lakers, and has already shown in the opening games of the preparation tournament in Italy just how useful he could be for Zeljko Obradovic’s team.
“We’re moving in the right direction. I’m slowly learning and gaining confidence. Everyone is understanding better what the coach wants from us, but also what we want as a team. We just need to sort out a few more things offensively and defensively so we’re fully ready for the start of the season,” said the former NBA guard for Basketball Sphere.
Claim Now Basketball-wise, he admits that what he has experienced in Europe so far can’t really be compared to what he went through in the United States.
“It’s definitely different. The rules are different, and the basketball itself isn’t the same. In any case, I feel I can fit in, and I’ll just keep listening to the coaches and my teammates to get even better at it. For sure, the game is played with much more contact, and you need to figure out how to create an advantage in a different way.”
After acknowledging that he had received several EuroLeague offers, he explained that his decision to join Partizan was partly influenced by an old acquaintance and former SMU college teammate, Sterling Brown.
“It was a good situation for me. I knew the coach was demanding and that we would be training hard. That’s exactly what I wanted. I also talked about all of this with Brown. I saw what they were doing and how they wanted to build the team. I haven’t experienced it fully yet, but I feel like I’m going to play the most fun basketball of my life.”
At SMU, he also worked with Serbian coach Nemanja Jovanovic, with whom he still maintains an excellent relationship to this day. They spend summers together preparing for the new season, and Milton speaks of him only in the highest regard.
“He influenced my career. We’re very close off the court as well. Even if I hadn’t decided to play for Partizan, it would have stayed the same. He shapes my way of thinking, and I work hard with him. That’s my guy.”
Last season, he played for the Los Angeles Lakers, which in itself is a major achievement.
“It was crazy. I grew up watching Kobe Bryant, my favorite player. Wearing that jersey afterwards was unreal,” concluded Shake Milton in his interview to Basketball Sphere.
