Labaron Philon Scouting Report
After withdrawing from last year's draft, Philon has bet on himself to improve his draft stock.
Labaron Philon made a last second decision to remove his name from the 2025 NBA draft a year ago to return to Alabama. It was widely expected he would stay in the draft as a likely late first round to second round guaranteed contract player. But he bet on himself, took over the keys of Nate Oats offense and solidified himself as a first round pick. He was one of the best guards in college basketball this season earning 3rd team All-American honors. He was the catalyst of what was the third ranked offense, per Kenpom.
Strengths
-The significant jump Philon needed to make this season was the jump shot, and he made it. The volume doubled and the efficiency climbed 8 percent. He was efficient off self created 3’s and ones off the catch. The one line in the sand you can draw is almost 60% of his makes were assisted. But there was a substantial growth to becoming a plus shot maker. Has good shot prep overall.
-Pick & Roll ball handling talent: 94th percentile in points per possession (per Synergy) as a P&R ball handler. There’s just so much he can do in these spots from a scoring and passing standpoint. Overall really smart player with a 2:1 AST:TO ratio, dynamic and crafty handle and can score on all three levels. Good at drawing fouls and getting to the free throw line (6 FTA/game). He has a push shot he can hit as well as getting to the basket.
-Think he just has real feel for the game, also liked his defensive priors as a freshman (not as good this year, will mention later). Quick processor of the game, effective both on & off the ball. Makes quick decisions in transition. The ball handling is just so awesome, has a lot of dribble combinations, has the ball on a string. On defense, Philon was high level last year with less offensive usage next to Mark Sears. Super legit point of attack defender, guarded teams best players.
Weaknesses
-Strength/Athletic Limitations/Smaller: I think these things kinda blend together. Very skinny guy weighing 176 lbs at 6’2 without shoes at the combine. That plus not being a super impressive athlete and you can have some concerns against bigger NBA competition. I always tend to think it’s easy to project someone can add real muscle to their frame as they age but it hasn’t happened yet for Philon. He’s not that small for an NBA point guard, but his measurements are that of a point guard and not a two guard plus it makes the athletic and strength factors matter more compared to someone like Wagler that has almost 3 inches on him.
-Defensive dip with increased usage: Defense was a lot worst game to game this season than last. His frame won’t really allow him to guard up lineups right now. Screen navigation has always had some issues, just not great at getting through big bodies. Off ball defense is hit or miss. We saw him have a good defensive season recently but can he handle a high usage in the NBA and bring it on the other end?
Summary
I think Philon has a great shot to be an impactful offensive player in the NBA with some hope that the defense can be playable to even slightly above neutral. A lot of Labaron for me comes down to him continuing to prove the shot making is real (just had that one good season recently) and can his frame mature. I like the shot, it works in multiple ways and it looks clean. But the frame part could be a big issue for him in his early career.
It’s so hard to be a high usage ball handler in the NBA, the bar is super high, especially if you are sub 6’3. But Labarons feel for the game and ability to play off the ball give optimism that if he can’t be a big time usage point guard, he can be a guy that impacts winning off the bench for a while.