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Sixers Draft Labaron Philon Jr. Out of Bama
Published:
The pick is in, and it’s Labaron Philon Jr. out of Alabama:
Philon Jr. is a guard. 6’3″, 176 pounds. He scored 22 points per game for the Crimson Tide this past season while shooting 50% from the floor and 39.9% from three on 6.2 attempts per game.
Here’s the NBA.com draft profile:
Labaron Philon earned Alabama Mr. Basketball honors as a junior in high school before transferring to Link Academy in Missouri, where he helped the Lions reach the national semifinals. Philon’s recruiting journey was chaotic. He initially committed to Auburn before decommitting and signing a letter of intent with Kansas before ultimately landing at Alabama. As a freshman with the Crimson Tide, he received SEC All-Freshman Team honors and was named SEC Freshman of the Week three times, but he exploded as a sophomore, earning Third Team All-American recognition after averaging 22.0 points, 5.0 assists, 3.5 rebounds and 1.2 steals on 50/40/80 shooting splits. Philon took his game to another level in the NCAA tournament, posting 24.3 points, 7.7 assists and 7.0 rebounds in three games, with Alabama losing to the eventual National Champion Wolverines in the Sweet Sixteen
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With elite shooting splits and dynamic playmaking, Philon’s skill set is perfect for the NBA. He’s shifty for his size and nearly always got past the first defender in college. From there, he was willing to find open teammates or take matters into his own hands, reading defensive coverages like a veteran. He’ll need to bulk up to maintain his offensive efficiency against NBA opponents, and how effective he can be defensively is still a major question mark. However, the offensive skills are impossible to ignore, and after a breakout sophomore campaign, it’s possible he’s just tapping into his potential.
Curious that the Sixers went for a guard despite having Tyrese Maxey and VJ Edgecombe on the roster, but both of those guys played a ton of minutes last season and there wasn’t much depth behind them. Most of the mock drafts had Philon coming off the board in the 17-21 range, a couple of writers thinking he’d go to the Hornets or the Pistons, so the fact that he made it to 22 was a bit of a surprise. Some comps include Dennis Schroder, Mike Conley, Payton Pritchard, and Dejounte Murray.
He’s a bit small, Philon, but he’s got a lovely offensive package, great start/stop ability, and some nasty handles. The Sixers backcourt is now stacked with young guys who can play:
Kevin has been writing about Philadelphia sports since 2009. He spent seven years in the CBS 3 sports department and started with the Union during the team's 2010 inaugural season. He went to the academic powerhouses of Boyertown High School and West Virginia University. email - k.kinkead@sportradar.com