Nate Oats has a backup plan. There's no doubt about that. You can't coach in major college basketball in today's era without a plan A, B, C, D, E, F, and G. But plan A has always been Labaron Philon returning to Tuscaloosa to run the Crimson Tide's offense in 2025-26.
That continues to look less and less likely.
Philon's recent comments painted the picture of someone hell-bent on getting to the NBA. He left the door slightly ajar for a return to Alabama, but also stated his focus is 100% on the draft. His dream as a kid was to get to the NBA. He's so close to realizing that dream.
Philon has wide-ranging draft stock right now. ESPN's Jonathan Givony projects him as a 2nd Round pick. If Philon gets 2nd Round feedback, he'd be wise to return to Alabama due to 2nd rounders in the NBA not receiving guaranteed contracts.
But Givony seems to be in the minority of NBA Draft experts when it comes to Philon.
Sam Vecenie with The Athletic projects Philon to the Boston Celtics with the 28th overall pick in his most recent mock draft (subscription required to view.) Vecenie echos the thoughts of many that NBA teams are excited to get an up-close look at Philon in the pre-draft process.
The NBA Combine will take place from May 11-18. How Philon is projected coming out of that will be a major determining factor on whether he stays in the draft or not. Teams will begin bringing in prospects for individual workouts after that. The deadline to withdraw from the draft is June 15th.
Vecenie is far from alone in projecting Philon as a 1st rounder. SB Nation's Ricky O'Donnell projected Philon to go No. 20 to the Miami Heat in his latest mock draft. Bleacher Report has Philon going 27th to the Brooklyn Nets in their mock. The Ringer has Philon going 25th overall to the Orlando Magic and has him No. 11 on their big board.
The vast majority of experts view Philon as a 1st Round pick right now. How he performs in workouts will determine his actual draft stock. With his competitiveness and raw ability, I figure he will shine at the combine and in individual workouts. If that happens, he could see his stock soar into the lottery range. He would undoubtedly stay in the draft if that's the case.
Plan B for Nate Oats and Alabama is unknown
Alabama has two open roster spots following the commitment of Tarleton State forward Keitenn Bristow on Wednesday.
Everyone seems to agree that Alabama needs another ball-handler. Having a true "point guard" is not a necessity in Alabama's system, and that traditional point guard is becoming a relic of the past in modern basketball. It's more important to have a guy who can breakdown defenses off the dribble than a maestro orchestrating the entire offense.
Oats's system is based more on pace-and-space than running set plays. That's not to say Alabama doesn't run sets; they do, but the offense is predicated on dribble-drives that lead to paint touches and either layups, free throws, or kick-out three-pointers.
Aden Holloway is fully capable of running Alabama's system. He'll be even more comfortable in it during his second season. Jalil Bethea and Latrell Wrightsell should give Alabama some ball-handling, too.
Oats probably can't find a player as good as Philon in the portal this late in the process. Not without ponying up a ridiculous amount of NIL for a player like Memphis transfer PJ Haggerty, which isn't going to happen. But there are minutes available in the backcourt and Alabama will find a good player. More importantly, Oats will find a player who is a good system fit for the Crimson Tide.
Waiting on Philon is likely a fruitless endeavor. It's probably time for Oats and company to pivot and accept that he's probably not coming back.