Labaron Philon Jr. left Alabama with a top-20 grade in 2026 NBA Draft Guide after a sophomore season that pushed him into on-ball duty and into the 2026 NBA Draft conversation. The guide sees a guard whose stock climbed fast, even if the next step still depends on how his game holds up at the NBA level.
“If Philon had stayed in the draft last year, he would have been one of my 20 favorite bets to carve out a long-term NBA career.” The guide also praised his feel: “I love his basketball IQ with and without the ball.”
Alabama’s On-Ball Leap
His sophomore role changed the evaluation. The guide said his improvement as an on-ball player “could not have gone better,” and tied that growth to Alabama’s top-three offense while he was putting up numbers that reflected more responsibility with the ball in his hands.
That shift matters because Philon was not just filling a lane as a freshman. He played the third-most minutes, started 29 games, and won All-Freshman honors in the SEC before returning for a second season and then declaring for the 2026 NBA Draft after the season.
Draft Stock And Translation
The ceiling is clear. The guide said better finishing at the rim could make him a possible starting point guard if things break right, and it added that he has Mike Conley-ish upside as a sub-All-Star starting lead guard if his three-level scoring package and defense translate.
But the swing factors are just as direct. The guide also flagged his lack of strength, questionable frame, and lack of true explosiveness, and said there is a good chance he ends up more like a Dennis Schröder-style guard who starts for a few years before settling in best as more of a sixth man.
Mobile To The NBA Draft
Philon’s path explains why the NBA Draft guide is weighing both production and projection. He grew up in Mobile, Ala., attended Baker High, won his classification’s Player of the Year award as a sophomore and junior, averaged 35 points as a junior, and won Alabama’s Mr. Basketball award.
He also moved through a long college decision process, including a commitment to Auburn, a later commitment to Kansas, and then Alabama the summer before his freshman year. He was the final player to decide to return to college at the early-entry deadline, and now the question is narrower: whether a top-20 grade turns into lottery value or a pick just outside it.
