PHILADELPHIA -- The Philadelphia 76ers hit the floor on Monday night for their first preseason action with their new group. The Sixers sat LeBron James, Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey, and others, but they were still able to see what they had in a number of key players, including rookie guard Labaron Philon Jr.
Philon's numbers weren't great as he had six points on 2-for-9 shooting with four assists, and two rebounds, but he also didn't turn the ball over in 24:40 of playing time in awin over the New York Knicks and he didn't commit many mistakes in a number of ways. It was a solid start to his maiden season and his team will be looking for more from him.
"He's good," said coach Nick Nurse. "I really like his ability to run the team, as you guys probably
could notice. He's really, really, communicative. He really gets the guys set up and stuff. I mean, he obviously shook free for some really clear shots. He didn't make many of them, but he shook free. They certainly had a certain coverage for him that we'll be able to see. We'll be able to let him work on that now and give him a counter move to that. I thought they were pinning him on the side a little but. I'm happy he got out there for 25 minutes."
To Nurse's point, Philon showed off his ability to really run a team. He was able to get guys in the right spots, find open teammates, break a defender down when the time called for it, and was able to have a few good moments defensively. The shot certainly needs to fall for him to really earn any type of playing time in this veteran-heavy, championship-ready rotation, but the rookie is going to make himself heard as the season moves forward.
"He played great," said VJ Edgecombe of Philon. "I think he played great. I said the flow of the game, you know, as the game going on, season go on, obviously he’s gonna get better. Shots was not falling, but I think he played really well. Definitely fatigued. Like your first NBA game. He played like 25-plus minutes, so now, I'm happy for him. I’m happy that he got to go out there and be himself. He earned it. He plays really well during training camp."
It also helps that Philon is able to be around proven talent in this league. Especially, having somebody like Jaylen Brown, who is going to lend a hand whenever it's needed will do wonders for his development.
"Great young talent," Brown said succinctly. "Extremely talented. I’m excited to be alongside (and) help him with his growth. But he’s a very talented young guard in this league."
The Sixers will continue the preseason on Thursday when they visit the Brooklyn Nets.
This article originally appeared on Sixers Wire: Nick Nurse, Sixers assess Labaron Philon Jr. after preseason win
