Labaron Philon Jr. tested the NBA Draft waters last offseason before ultimately deciding to return for his sophomore season. This time, he’s gone and not coming back, declaring for the NBA Draft and leaving no mystery about his intentions. So, with major questions in the backcourt and an incoming high school class loaded with wings, Nate Oats will likely need to dive into the Transfer Portal to find his next point guard.
After Florida and Michigan won their national championships with massive front courts, the portal is being overrun by seven-footers, including Alabama’s Aiden Sherrell, looking to cash in on a major payday. That’s left the guard to be overlooked, but even by that standard, Furman transfer Alex Wilkins is a diamond in the rough.
Wilkins was a zero-star recruit out of Massachusetts last year, and though he hasn’t risen to Keaton Wagler acclaim as a one-and-done NBA prospect, he’s had a similar rise. The 6-foot-5 point guard immediately grabbed the reins of Bob Richey’s offense and dominated, averaging 17.8 points and 4.7 assists with a 52.1 percent effective field goal percentage.
He’s not Philon, but as a slim, playmaking guard with three-level shotmaking ability, he can certainly approximate his skillset, and most importantly, he can do it with real positional size.
Furman's Alex Wilkins might be the most intriguing guard on the portal market
Whether or not Nate Oats chases the craze of supersized lineups, his team undeniably needs to get bigger. That may not mean more seven-footers, but it does mean fewer 6-footers. With Philon and Aden Holloway sharing the floor for much of last season, Latrell Wrightsell was forced to play the three, and Amari Allen the four. There were just too many ways to pick on the Tide defensively and completely control the glass.
There’s no guarantee that Holloway, after his felony arrest in March, will be back with the team next year, but if he is, Wilkins’s 6-foot-5 frame will make the two a workable pairing. At 175 pounds, Wilkins isn’t the most stout defender, and he’s not much of a rebounder either, but an SEC strength program is one of the best ways to remedy those issues. Wilkins can get stronger; other potential portal point guard options like LSU’s Dedan Thomas or even a veteran like Oregon’s Jackson Shelstad can’t get taller. And with just one year of experience, he has plenty of room to grow.
Beyond the defensive concerns, Wilkins had turnover issues, but that’s to be expected for a freshman with a 34.4 percent usage rate. That high playmaking burden also helps to explain why he was a 32 percent three-point shooter. A high volume of those shots, especially the ones above the break, came off the dribble, but from the corner, he shot 47.6 percent, and he shot 81.9 percent from the line.
The mechanics are sound; he just needs to get into an offensive system that frees him up to play off the ball more and with more spacing. What better place to find that than Tuscaloosa, Alabama?
He’s not a perfect prospect, but Philon didn’t come without flaws either, especially in his freshman season. And Wilkins has already proven he can handle high-level competition with his 21-point, four-assist outing on 8-15 from the field and 4-8 from three against UConn in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
He won’t be the biggest name on the open market this offseason, but he would be a great fit at Alabama, and the type of shot-creator Oats needs to replace an offensive dynamo like Philon.