Labaron Philon Jr. is a Philadelphia 76er.
Philon’s fall in the draft was a surprise to many as the Alabama product was projected to go much higher coming off a monster sophomore campaign. Philon was named a finalist for SEC Player of the Year, First Team All-SEC, and Third Team All-American. He led Alabama to the Sweet 16 where they ultimately fell to the eventual national champions Michigan and their three lottery picks Morez Johnson, Yaxel Lendeborg and Aday Mara. Philon was the best player on the court
that day as he poured in 35 points, seven rebounds and five assist on 10-for-21 from the field, 6-for-14 from three, and a perfect 9-for-9 from the foul line.
Philadelphia’s new front office did not hesitate to pounce at the chance of drafting the Alabama star as he fell into their laps at 22nd overall. Philon was the ninth-ranked overall player on my final 2026 NBA Draft Big Board. So what makes the Crimson Tide star such a dynamic player and the steal of the draft? Let’s dive in.
Profile
Team: Alabama
Year: Sophomore
Position: Point Guard
Born: November 24, 2005 (20 years old)
Hometown: Mobile, Alabama
Stats (PER 40):
28.4 PPG
6.5 AST
4.6 REB
1.8 STL
62.6 TS%
79.8% FT (7.8 attempts per 40)
39.9% 3Pt (8.0 attempts per 40)
Measurements:
Height: 6’3.5
Wingspan: 6’6.25
Weight: 176.2 lbs
Strengths
Self-Creation
Philon is arguably the best advantage creator in the 2026 NBA Draft class. His blend of elite handle, change of pace, and touch from all over the floor make him a nightmare to keep in front and keep out of the paint. For the season, 74% of Philon’s total field goal attempts were unassisted and he posted a 59% effective field goal percentage on those shot attempts. He was the engine and hub of the Alabama offense that ranked in the top five in the country.
Shooting
Philon upped his three-point rate and three-point percentage in a big way in year two in Tuscaloosa. He shot 39.9% from three on 6.2 attempts per game, up from 31.5% on 3.4 attempts per game during his freshman season. Whether if it was off the dribble or off the catch, Philon was deadly from beyond the arc all season long. He also shot over 45% on midrange jumpers, 79.8% from the free throw line, and displays tremendous touch on floaters and runners as well.
Ball Handling
Philon has the best handle in the 2026 draft class. His ability to string together dribble combinations while changing pace and maneuvering around defenders is second to none in his class. Going left, going right, snaking pick-and-rolls, putting defenders in jail on his back, or making defenders look silly in isolation, Philon’s bag is as deep as any, capable of creating advantages from a standstill in isolation, in transition, or on second-side actions.
Passing
Philon is an excellent passer capable of making live dribble reads and delivering pinpoint passes with either hand. Philon, like with his handle, has a flare for making the spectacular pass on top of the simple ones. Whether it’s hitting rollers with bounce passes or lobs, rifling one-handed skip passes to shooters off the bounce, hitting cutters with accuracy, launching outlet passes to teammates in stride, or hitting wrap around passes on drives, Philon is fully equipped as a playmaker. He displays great feel and IQ as a passer who is well versed in manipulating defenses with his eyes and pace. Philon’s elite advantage creation capabilities coupled with his playmaking ability give him all the tools to be a go-to guy when on the floor and garner high usage as he will make the right play for himself or his teammates. Philon posted a 2-1 Ast/To ratio at Alabama.
Finishing
Philon is a true three-level scorer and was elite at the rim during the 2025-2026 season despite his size and perceived lack of vertical explosion He finished an outstanding 66% of his shot attempts at the rim on 177 attempts. Philon finished 65% of his halfcourt attempts at the rim on 128 attempts. He made 4.8 attempts at the rim per 100 possessions. He utilizes his sublime craft and pace along with his handle to get to the rim at an extremely high rate and uses his tremendous deceleration ability and underrated play strength to play through contact and finish when he gets there. Philon may not be an explosive vertical athlete for NBA standards, but he is extremely athletic from a flexibility and dexterity standpoint — dare I say reminiscent of the reigning two-time MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
Scalability
Philon starred in his sophomore season as the primary offensive hub but in his freshman season he showed to be more than capable of scaling down and playing alongside other high-usage creators as he played alongside former Alabama All-American PG Mark Sears during his freshman year. Philon was an excellent role player throughout his freshman season, punishing defenses as a secondary creator and playmaker on offense and creating havoc on and off the ball defensively. Philon was a defensive menace in his freshman year, often tasked with shutting down opposing teams best guards, a role he excelled in. He was touted as a savvy, high effort, complementary guard when he declared for the draft after his freshman season before he elected to withdraw and return to Alabama for his sophomore season where he blossomed into a go-to superstar.
Areas of Concern
Defensive consistency
Philon’s defensive metrics and production fell off in a big way during his sophomore year as he was tasked with a much larger offensive load. His effort and focus waned defensively throughout the season. Philon did not show the same capability to contain ball handlers, defend screening actions on or off the ball at the same level, nor the same focus and effort all around on that end that he displayed during his first season. It is reasonable to expect with less offensive load on his plate as the sole creator that Philon can tap back into what made him a good defender in his freshman year.
Limited size + vertical athleticism
Philon is undersized for NBA standards standing at just 6’3 and weighing in at just over 176 pounds at the combine. Some would argue that Philon’s lack of size and vertical athleticism will make his translation to the NBA much tougher and effect his ability to finish at the rim and defend stronger players. I would argue that Philon is much stronger than he looks and showed on a regular basis the ability to dislodge much bigger players on drives to score. I would also argue that while he isn’t the best vertical athlete as far as dunks and finishing above the rim his other athletic tools coupled with his elite touch, ability to draw fouls, craft, deceleration ability, and ability to play off either foot or both feet are far more important attributes to have as a scoring guard than raw leaping ability.
Overview
To put it quite simply, the Sixers struck gold landing Philon late in the first round. This type of steal should remind fans of landing Tyrese Maxey back in 2020 as Philon has the upside to be that caliber of player and will immediately vault himself into Sixth Man of the Year conversations if given the opportunity to do so. Philon game’s resembles so many quality NBA players from Lou Williams, Tony Parker, Darius Garland, and, yes, even some of SGA’s other qualities.
Philon’s scoring punch, ball handling, and creation ability will give the Sixers a legit option to spell Maxey and one capable of playing alongside him at times as well. He may instantly be the best pure passer on the Sixers roster and will fill a major need for the team as a primary bench scorer and ball handler, something they were desperately missing last season. As we saw throughout the 2026 NBA playoffs, you can never have enough ball handling and scoring ability in the backcourt. Spurs rookie Dylan Harper, OKC second-year guard Ajay Mitchell, Knicks veteran Jose Alvarado, and Timberwolves newly minted $112-million man Ayo Dosunmu all were major factors in the postseason on contending teams as reserve guards providing starting-caliber play and impact.
The sky is the limit for Philon long-term as well as he has one of the highest ceilings in the 2026 draft — one that we all hope to see him reach in a Sixers uniform. Sixers fan should rejoice at the fact that they get to watch Maxey, VJ Edgecombe and Philon share the backcourt together for the foreseeable future in Philadelphia. Labaron said it best, “We going to get everybody, I’m telling you, we walking them down one by one.”
