TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Alabama basketball freshman Labaron Philon has been one of the standout performers on a deep Crimson Tide roster through the first three games. The freshman was in double figures in three of Alabama’s first four games and had no trouble dealing with an intense environment in the Tide's 87-78 loss to Purdue.
Despite the defeat, Philon led Alabama with 18 points and had five rebounds and four assists. He also turned the ball over just once in his first road game at the college level.
Philon’s effort was evident to Tide coach Nate Oats from the moment he stepped on campus. That’s why the freshman has been rewarded with 20 or more minutes in all of Alabama’s games so far. Through four games, Philon is averaging 12 points, 3.5 rebounds and 4.3 assists per game.
Philon caught the eye of the Alabama staff upon arrival and his output to start the season has started to attract attention from those at the next level.
“Coach [Preston] Murphy got a call from some NBA scouts and he’s shooting up draft boards,” Oats said during a press conference Tuesday. “He came in with the right mindset. He came in not expecting any minutes, just whatever he could earn he was gonna be happy with. He came in with zero expectations on NBA stuff. He just came here trying to get better, compete as hard as he can, make himself better, make the program as good as he can.”
Philon’s impressive start has been a huge boost for Alabama and it now appears he’ll be on draft watch alongside the Tide’s other electric freshman Derrion Reid. Philon was included in an NBA mock draft released by Bleacher Report on Monday, going No. 24 overall to the Houston Rockets, while ESPN’s Jonathan Givony and Jeremy Woo had Reid going to the Utah Jazz at pick 21 in a mock draft last week.
There’s still plenty of room to grow for Philon as he looks to sustain his NBA potential, including managing foul trouble and some over-aggressiveness on both ends of the floor — Philon fouled out against Purdue. Philon is also looking to sustain a high level of shooting from beyond the 3-point line and showed promise against the Boilermakers, hitting 3 of his 4 attempts from deep.
“I think when you come in with the right mindset it parlays itself into really good basketball," Oats said. "And I think how hard he’s competed since he stepped on campus, how much he’s been willing to be coached, the improvements he’s made just in playing the way we want him to play. He’s also a guy that gets the ball out of his hands pretty quick. Two guys get on him, he gets it out. He’s moving the ball so he’s more efficient and the NBA people recognize it.”
Philon’s early draft buzz is another reward for a player who has taken the right approach when competing for minutes and impacting one of the deepest teams in the country. As Alabama continues its strong nonconference schedule, the next step for Philon is sustaining his play while keeping his focus on the task at hand — helping Alabama navigate a competitive season and accomplish the goal of another deep NCAA Tournament run.
“We gotta keep him thinking the right things,” Oats said. “We don’t want the guys playing for the NBA but to me, that’s a byproduct of playing the right way. It just happens when you’ve got that kind of talent. You play the right way, those types of things happen.”
