The Sixers may have snagged a draft sleeper in Labaron Philon Jr. at No. 22
This is the first draft pick for new Sixers president of basketball operations Mike Gansey, who was hired earlier this month to replace Daryl Morey.
NEW YORK — Bobby Marks was almost hesitant to bring up Labaron Philon Jr.’s name when asked during a Monday panel about potential sleepers in the 2026 NBA draft class.
Because Marks, the ESPN analyst who once led the New Jersey Nets’ front office, did not believe the Alabama guard would slip past No. 17.
Marks appreciated that, after Philon declared for the draft last year but then opted to return to school, he applied the feedback he received from NBA teams to his second college season. Fran Fraschilla, the longtime college basketball coach and another ESPN analyst, took Marks’ analysis a step further, declaring that Philon “could end up being the best point guard in this draft.”
» READ MORE: First-round pick Labaron Philon brings ball-handling, shooting ability, and playmaking to the Sixers
That talent and potential landed in the 76ers’ lap at No. 22 overall Tuesday night at Barclays Center. Philon was a prospect new president of basketball operations Mike Gansey could not pass up selecting. And Philon’s addition further builds out a young and explosive backcourt that already features All-NBA third-teamer Tyrese Maxey and VJ Edgecombe, who finished third in NBA’s Rookie of the Year voting.
“Adding me, it’s a blur,” Philon said. “You’ve got two guys that are really shifty, two guys that know how to handle the ball, and a guy that can jump out the roof. That means everything in the backcourt. I feel like Coach [Nick] Nurse is going to have a fun time with that.”
From his freshman to sophomore college seasons, Philon significantly improved his three-point percentage (31.5% to 39.9%) and assist numbers (3.8 per game to 5.0). He doubled his scoring average from 10.6 points per game to a team-high 22, unleashing crafty moves and a willingness to take on defenders despite his slighter 6-foot-4, 185-pound frame. He was a defensive specialist, of sorts, when not required to carry the primary offensive load.
And Philon believes that playing in coach Nate Oats’ system — and next to former star guard Mark Sears as a freshman — will prepare him to join the Sixers’ excellent backcourt.
“Spending two years [at Alabama] just taught me how to play a special way of basketball,” Philon said late Tuesday. “Coach Oats, you know that style of basketball Coach Oats teaches. Being able to learn things under him and the coaching staff, I would say everybody in the program was really just looking forward to getting me better.
“I would say making the decision to go back [to school] was important. Being able to experience the first year in the NBA [draft process in 2025] but come back and hear your name called [in 2026] means everything.”
» READ MORE: NBA draft news: Sixers take Labaron Philon Jr. with first-round pick; Giannis trade gives Embiid new title
Philon’s addition also provides the Sixers with some reserve guard insurance. The Sixers lost sharpshooter Jared McCain, their 2024 first-round pick, in a controversial trade at the February deadline. And sixth man Quentin Grimes is about to enter unrestricted free agency, after signing a one-year qualifying offer following a messy restricted free agency period last summer.
Philon joins a Sixers team in an interesting spot under Gansey, who ran the draft in his previous job as the Cleveland Cavaliers’ general manager. Gansey also kept intact the bulk of the Sixers’ front office that has made strong selections in recent drafts, including Maxey at 21 in 2020 and Edgecombe third overall last year.
The Sixers finished seventh in the Eastern Conference standings during the regular season, with a 45-37 record. They then rallied from down three-games-to-one to beat the Boston Celtics in the playoffs’ first round, before getting swept by the eventual NBA-champion New York Knicks.
In addition to Maxey and Edgecome, former perennial All-Stars Joel Embiid and Paul George are still effective — even fantastic — when available. But both veterans have struggled mightily to stay on the floor in recent seasons due to injury or, in George’s case, a 50-game suspension for violating the league’s anti-drug policy. Embiid, George, and Maxey also remain on max contracts for multiple seasons, limiting the Sixers’ financial flexibility this offseason.
But the first move of the Gansey front office era broke in the Sixers’ favor.
Because they may have snagged the draft’s biggest sleeper.
“Whatever the situation I’m put in,” Philon said, “really just growing in it and being comfortable, really. I would say that’s the biggest thing for me.”
