The draft stock for Alabama star Labaron Philon has been fluid, depending on which expert's opinion you choose to view.
Some view him as a potential Top 10 pick, with his draft ceiling likely being No. 9 to the Dallas Mavericks. Some think he could fall out of the lottery and land all the way down at No. 19 to the Toronto Raptors.
There's a range of possibilities in between.
Philon's athletic testing at the NBA Combine didn't do him any favors, but it was obvious from watching him that he wasn't an exceptional athlete, so that shouldn't have been surprising. He uses a quick first step with initial burst, and some creative dribbling and hesi moves to get by defenders and to the rim, where he finishes at an impressive clip.
His three-point shooting jump from 30% to 40% as a sophomore at Alabama makes him all the more intriguing. There's plenty of upside, and if he hits the high-end ceiling that Sports Illustrated's Kevin Sweeney has for him, then he's an obvious lottery pick.
Sports Illustrated writer believes Labaron Philon's high-end comparison is Immanuel Quickley
Sweeney took a look at his projected lottery picks and gave high-end and low-end player comps for all the prospects.
The low-end Sweeney came up with is journeyman guard Bones Hyland, who showed some initial promise early in his career but has struggled to find consistent minutes - and a consistent home - ever since his promising start with Denver and the Los Angeles Clippers.
The high-end, however, is much more promising with Raptors guard Immanuel Quickley. The former Kentucky standout had a massive freshman-to-sophomore leap with the Wildcats, like Philon with the Crimson Tide, improving his three-point shooting from 34% to 42%. Quickley parlayed that into being a late first-round pick after his sophomore season to the New York Knicks.
After a promising start with the Knicks off the bench, Quickley was part of the blockbuster trade between the Raptors and Knicks that sent OG Anunoby to New York and Quickley - along with RJ Barrett - to Toronto.
In 2.5 seasons with the Raptors, Quickely has been the team's starting point guard, averaging over 17 points and six assists per game. Interestingly enough, the Raptors have been a team that has shown significant interest in Philon during the pre-draft process, so the team could ultimately team up in Toronto.
"A career path similar to Quickley’s would be a strong outcome, making an immediate impact as one of the best sixth men in the league before emerging as a starting point guard by his mid-20s. The two are both gifted creators off the dribble but lack elite size or explosiveness," Sweeney wrote about the comparison.
Philon should be able to make a quick impact in the NBA with his deep bag on the offensive end. He's got NBA dribble moves already, and if the three-point shooting can translate from NBA range, then it won't take long before Philon is making a name for himself at the next level. Developing into a quality NBA starter isn't a "superstar" outcome, but it would ultimately lead to a pretty lucrative payday by the time he gets to his second NBA contract.
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