It's well documented that Alabama runs an NBA system under Nate Oats. The Crimson Tide gets up and down the court, relies on analytics for shot quality, and obviously takes a whole bunch of three-pointers.
While all of that is well known, it's always nice to hear validation from an NBA coach, particularly as it pertains to how Alabama's system prepares its players for the NBA grind. That will only give Oats more ammunition on the recruiting trail.
In a press conference in the aftermath of the Philadelphia drafting Alabama guard Labaron Philon with the No. 22 pick on Tuesday night, 76ers head coach Nick Nurse offered praise to the Crimson Tide's system and how it should help Philon translate to the league quickly:
"Played in a system at Alabama that's very kinda pro-style, they really get up and down the floor," Nurse said of Philon. "They're really spread, really analytical, lots of spread movement, shots, transition 3s, corner 3s, drives to the rim. So I think that will serve him well as well."
Nick Nurse believes Alabama's system will have Labaron Philon ready to contribute immediately
Not all rookies are ready to play legitimate NBA minutes right away. That's especially true for guys who are taken outside of the lottery, like Philon was. But there are outliers every year, guys who outperform their draft position and end up being quality rotational players right away.
The 76ers are hopeful that this will be the case with Philon, and those chances got a tremendous boost thanks to the system Philon played in college. Philon won't have to adjust to the NBA's pace. The Sixers won't play any quicker than he was used to playing in his two seasons at Alabama.
That's good news for Philly because they have a legitimate need in the backcourt.
Following the trade deadline deal that sent Jared McCain to the Oklahoma City Thunder, the Sixers didn't have much depth in the backcourt behind Tyrese Maxey and VJ Edgecombe. That became obvious in the second round of the NBA Playoffs when they were swept by the eventual NBA champion New York Knicks.
Maxey and Edgecombe had to carry too much of the burden, and while both are young players, they would certainly welcome Philon's ability to alleviate that some. Philon is capable of playing next to either - or both - with his ability to play both on and off the ball. While some might view the Alabama star as strictly an on-ball guard, he spent plenty of time off-the-ball as a freshman while playing next to Mark Sears. His development as a shooter will make that even more of a fit.
Philon will also be able to alleviate some of the playmaking burden with his ability to break down defenses and create opportunities for others. Adding a quality player to the backcourt was a major priority for the Sixers, and they were able to do so while taking the best player available at No. 22.
It doen't get much better than that.
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