It has been assumed all year that Alabama's top NBA Draft prospect would be Labaron Philon. The sensational sophomore made a surprising decision to return to Tuscaloosa for a second year after initially declaring for the NBA Draft a year ago.
He was expected to be a late first-round to early second-round pick in the 2025 draft. Instead, he has returned to school and undoubtedly improved his stock into a solid first-rounder. He's on the shortlist for SEC Player of the Year, leading the league in scoring at 21.4 points per game on an efficient 50% from the field and 39% from three.
Philon has been everything and more than Crimson Tide fans expected as a sophomore. And he might not be the best pro prospect on the team.
That distinction could go to freshman Amari Allen, who has seen a meteoric Noah Clowney-esque rise as a freshman. Like Clowney, Allen arrived at Alabama with very little NBA Draft buzz. Now, Allen is trending toward being a first-round pick in his own right and could ultimately surpass Philon and be the first Tide player drafted in June.
No Ceilings NBA Mock Draft has Amari Allen ahead of Labaron Philon
The latest mock draft from No Ceilings lays out that exact scenario.
They have Allen going 20th overall to the Charlotte Hornets, one spot ahead of Philon, who is projected No. 21 to the Atlanta Hawks.
Allen has been a revelation for Alabama in his first season. The 4-star recruit and Wisconsin Player of the Year a year ago, Allen has been a do-it-all type of player for Nate Oats. He can score at an efficient clip, averaging 11.7 points per game on shooting splits of 46/37/75. But it is his all-around game that has caught the eyes of scouts.
Allen is 6-foot-8 and has shown an early ability to be on the ball with his playmaking. He leads Alabama in rebounding at 7.4 a night, but is also dishing out 3.6 assists each game. It doesn't hurt that he has been an excellent, versatile defender for the Crimson Tide, either.
He projects as a potential point-forward at the next level, but he could also be a three-and-D wing, which is always coveted in NBA circles. He's only just scratching the surface of his immense potential, too.
Allen arrived in Tuscaloosa as an expected multi-year player. That no longer appears to be the case. His stock is trending up significantly, and Alabama fans need to go ahead and accept the fact that this is likely his only season in a Crimson Tide uniform.