Labaron Philon's draft-day fall was curious. The Alabama star was a lottery-level talent, but a loaded guard draft caused him to slip down the board a bit. He was ultimately taken at No. 22 overall by the Philadelphia 76ers.
It only took Philon one game to look like an absolute draft steal.
Philon got off to a quick start in his Summer League debut, scoring 18 points and dropping seven assists in Philadelphia's 101-93 win over the Detroit Pistons.
Philon hit 4-of-10 from three-point range, but hit just 6-of-19 shots overall. Efficiency in shooting the ball is rare in Summer League for rookies. Peruse the box scores for top draft picks like Darryn Peterson, AJ Dybantsa, and Darius Acuff from Thursday night to see what I mean.
It's all about the process over the results in Summer League. And the process for Philon looked terrific, particularly with his ball-handling ability. He had defenders on skates and looked capable of getting to his spots whenever he wanted, much like he did during his two seasons at Alabama.
#22 overall pick Labaron Philon Jr. made his NBA Summer League debut for the @sixers today!
— NBA (@NBA) July 10, 2026
18 PTS
7 AST (game-high)
4 3PM
PHI W pic.twitter.com/Wp7QM4zS3V
Labaron Philon impresses in his 76ers Summer League debut
Philon looks like a player who can help the 76ers right away. On a team that will feature Jaylen Brown, Tyrese Maxey, and VJ Edgecombe in the starting lineup, Philon will have a clearly defined role as an energy boost off the bench for the Sixers.
NBA experts quickly took notice of Philon's performance and the skills that will serve him well when the regular season gets started:
I don’t know how folks are gonna stay in front of Labaron Philon. Gonna be a problem with Philly’s second units…
— David Aldridge (@davidaldridgedc) July 9, 2026
My first impression of Labaron Philon:
— Tony Jones (@Tjonesonthenba) July 9, 2026
Jesus Christ that guy has the ball on a string. His handles are at 98
Labaron Philon might already be the best player coming off the Sixers bench
— RB (@RBPhillyTake) July 9, 2026
Gotta say, Labaron Philon is looking silky smooth so far. Had the defender spinning on this one. pic.twitter.com/BuvWa9Vn7j
— Erin Grugan (@eringrugan) July 9, 2026
After the 76ers' big offseason that included the trade for Jaylen Brown and the addition of Anfernee Simons in free agency, Philon's role with the team didn't appear to be clearly defined. One Summer League game changed that.
Obviously, the competition is going to go up a significant notch once the real season begins. Still, he looked like a player capable of helping even a contending team like Philadelphia.
His three-point shooting was encouraging in his debut, but more than that, it was his handle and ability to get to his spots. He'll have to get stronger to finish through contact, which was one of the knocks on him in the pre-draft process. Finishing in the paint in the NBA is a lot more difficult at the next level than he found in college. That'll come.
But the bones are good. Philon looked like the talent his supporters thought he was heading into the draft, and after one game, there are probably some NBA teams that passed on him already feeling some regret.
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