PHILADELPHIA -- With the Philadelphia 76ers missing VJ Edgecombe, it opened up a spot in the rotation that coach Nick Nurse had to find a way to fill as the Sixers headed into their matchup with the Detroit Pistons. Therefore, he turned to rookie guard Labaron Philon Jr. to give him some of his first real minutes in the league.
Philon scored five points with two rebounds and an assist while also running some offense and earning the trust of Nurse and his teammates a bit. He is such a confident player who can perform in any situation that the Sixers throw him out there.
"It felt good just being out there competing with the guys, but mainly myself just getting the feel of the game and it's going to come along," said Philon after the loss. "I know
it's a long season. Just staying ready, staying with a great mindset, and coming in every day ready to work. I feel that don't have to change even if you get in the game or you're not in the game, just give energy and come to work every day."
Philon was certainly tested by the Pistons as they used their aggressiveness and physical play on the defensive end to try and speed him up a little bit. To Philon's credit, he kept his composure and he did a great job of handling the challenges Detroit threw at him. This is another learning experience for the young man out of Alabama.
"I mean, they were really physical," Philon admitted. "I feel like every team being played, I think Cleveland was kind of physical, but I would just say it's going to be adjustment for sure, but just staying calm and being physical back on the other side of the ball, I really think that matters when you playing against a physical team, showing that your team can also be physical. So just for us up in that would be very great."
It was good for Philon to get his first NBA bucket out of the way. He knocked down a floater in the paint with the Sixers able to get out in transition. It wasn't anything too special. He just wanted to get that over with so he can keep moving forward in his maiden season.
"Just got in the lane, trying to make a play," Philon said of the bucket. "So it was good just to see the first points go down and now it's like I said, it's going to come along. So just staying ready and having a stay ready mindset."
The Sixers will face the Indiana Pacers on the road on Wednesday.
This article originally appeared on Sixers Wire: Sixers rookie reacts to getting first real minutes in loss to Pistons
