Where Does Labaron Philon Fit with the 2026-27 Philadelphia 76ers?
The Philadelphia 76ers used their 22nd overall pick to draft the All-American/All-SEC guard, Labaron Philon Jr., out of Alabama to help run their second unit. The 76ers had one of the worst benches in the entire NBA, only contributing 32.4 ppg (27th in the NBA). Philone, coming off a 22 points on 50.1 FG% and 5 assists per game season, can come in as a spark plug off the bench for a team that had a bench with close to zero shot creation and facilitation. Philone's quick handles and scoring ability could act like a magnet for defenses, opening up shots for the new Sixers bench, full of shooters, like Anfernee Simons (38.1% career 3-point shooter), Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (36.5%), Dean Wade (36.7%), and Justin Edwards (36.8%).
Philone played 20+ minutes in the four Summer League games for the Sixers, averaging 9.25 points and 4.5 assists. He did struggle efficiency-wise, shooting 33.3% from the field 33,3% from three, and 83.3 from the free-throw line. This is not unusual for rookies, especially guards.
Philone can run the bench unit consisting of him, Simons, KCP, Wade, and Bona. In a lineup like this full of shooters, Philon may be able to help unlock Bona offensively with his playmaking, a lot like he did Broome in the Summer League off pick and rolls. Simons will also be able to create his own shots, with this unit already being a proven scorer in this league, opening up spot-up shots for Philone off help defense. Some dangerous lineups that can be thrown out there to help Philone thrive would be a small-ball lineup of him, Tyrese Maxey, VJ Edgecombe, Jaylen Brown, and LeBron James. Although this team may struggle with defense against bigger teams, they would destroy them in transition, having all five players able to take it on the break, make smart decisions with the basketball, and create for themselves. Another route they can go is a defensive lineup of Philone being the point-of-attack defender, VJ denying the shooter, Brown as the star stopper, Wade as the versatile wing or post defender, and Bona as the paint presence/shot blocker. This lineup also has plenty of offense, making it a very all-around unit.
There are pros and cons for Philone himself with the 76ers. The main pro for him is being mentored by Tyrese Maxey, another shifty guard who can create for himself and his team, but uses his athleticism and body to create contact, which Philone needs to add to his game to get more free throws in the league. The con for Philone is that he will be a bench guard for a big chunk of his career if he, Maxey, and VJ stay with the 76ers, potentially stunting his star potential, capping out at a Lou Williams-esque career, which is not a bad comparison.
While Philon didn't see any playing time in the 76ers' first game of the season, the former Crimson Tide star guard still can find ways to carve out minutes for himself with Philadelphia.
More From Tide 100.9
