The Sixers have drafted another guard. With the 22nd pick in the 2026 NBA draft, they selected Labaron Philon Jr. out of Alabama. A two-year college player, Philon averaged 22.0 points, 3.5 rebounds and 5.0 assists per game in his sophomore year. He did so on 50.1%/39.9%/79.8% shooting splits on high volume.
He will now be a part of a backcourt with Tyrese Maxey and VJ Edgecombe and already thinks he’ll slide in nicely next to those two.
“Being selected by Philly, it’s just like it’s destiny,” he said, “because they got two great guards and I feel like I fit in with those guards, playing at that fast pace.”
Philon felt the difference between his first two years in college has prepared him well to play in a crowded backcourt. As a freshman he was in an off-ball role playing with Mark Sears before taking on a lead ball-handler role in his sophomore season.
“I would say the ability to play on and off the ball, make the game easy for others around you, I feel like I did that at a high level,” Philon said, “and then just being able to play with that unselfishness, being able to score when you need to, being able to pass the ball… it kind of helped me, being able to adapt to any situation and adapt it at the guard spot.”
Making life easier for others was a big theme for Philon in his introductory presser — a good sign for someone whose job will be to lighten the workload for Maxey and Edgecombe. After the draft, president of basketball operations Mike Gansey said this is a pick that should help Nick Nurse in not putting as many miles on those two.
Philon is excited to play with the whole roster, not just the backcourt.
“I would just say, with Joel and all the other guys on the roster, it’s special being able to have such a great roster in the NBA,” he said, “ and then adding a key piece like me that can make the game easy for others.”
For as enthused as Philon is to be a member of the Sixers, there is some work to do to make sure that his fit is as seamless as he hopes. At 6-foot-3 and 175 pounds he becomes the latest guard on this roster who would be classified as “undersized.”
Philon is confident in his defensive abilities, but is ready to bulk up to become a more versatile defender. He said one of his first goals as he gets to the NBA is to put on some weight and muscle to be able to guard 1-through-3 or 1-through-4.
His handle might be farther along than that, but that’s also something he’s really looking to improve as he enters his rookie season.
“Just sharpening that creative mindset, the creative tool that you always have,” Philon said. “They call it a bag nowadays, but I always just say creativity.”
Philon might not be the most familiar with the city of Philadelphia. As someone who’s never visited before, he admitted all he really knew about the city was the cheesesteaks. As the draft broadcast revealed though, one Philadelphian he has studied a lot is Maxey. Time will tell how well the fit goes, but on draft night, Philon couldn’t be more thrilled with where he ended up.
“I’ll definitely learn from a lot of great guys in a great conference on a great team,” he said.
