Welcome back to this year’s NBA Draft preview series. To see other prospects, be sure to check out the other previews here.

Today’s prospect is someone who I had as a mid-first rounder last year, to now looking like a prospect who I will have firmly cemented in my top 10. Labaron Philon, a guard from Alabama, returned to school and improved in pretty much every metric. As a result, it’s looking like he’ll end up getting selected pretty early on draft night… or will he? Recent intel suggests that Philon’s range is closer to the mid teens, and the Raptors could have a real shot at drafting a do-it-all offensive engine for their new core.

Labaron Philon Jr.

The Good (A Complete Offensive System)

Despite increasing his usage and responsibilities as a playmaker, Labaron reduced his turnovers and increased his efficiency during his second year at Bama. He’s simply sensational at using his speed to generate rim pressure, but he’s also excellent at finding open shooters on his drives if a shot isn’t there for him. Labaron was always a smart player, but he really found another gear for his basketball IQ and general feel during his sophomore campaign.

The scoring efficiency speaks for itself: Labaron Philon can easily be a 50/40/90 player in the NBA. Improving his three point shooting from 31.5% as a freshman to 39.9%, Labaron went from a “yeah but can he shoot?” guard into one of the best scorers in college basketball. He noticeably improved his form and punishes defence with his quickness, especially off the dribble.

His quick-twitch athleticism is on display when he handles the ball. He reads defenses quickly, adjusts mid-drive, and finds gaps with impressive patience and touch around the rim. An elite finisher on drives and with an insanely soft touch on his floater, Labaron also possesses elite footwork which catches even the most disciplined defenders off guard.

Labaron also improved his assist averages up to 5 per game; he’s a high-level passer who has really improved his composure compared to when he was a freshman. He plays with pace, makes proper reads, and delivers passes with precision. I was lower on Labaron last year, and he really addressed many of the concerns I had about his ability as a playmaker.

Defensively, there’s a lot to be concerned about, but not for lack of effort on Labaron’s part. He plays tough, enjoys picking passing lanes, puts his body on the line for his team, and hustles his ass off. Does it always result in a good defensive possession? Not necessarily, but Labaron usually at least knows where to be in a half-court defensive set and tries his best. For a guard with his slimmer body type, that’s all you can really ask for at this stage in his development.

Labaron finished his college career with a 35 point outing against the eventual champion Michigan Wolverines, so he rises to the occasion when his team needs him and the lights never seem to be too bright for the calm and composed guard.

The Bad (Defence)

Labaron’s defensive impact is rated firmly in the bottom third percentile of other college guards, meaning he’s solidly a below average defender at this point.

Defensive percentiles provided by draftballr.com

At 6’4 in shoes and with a 6’6.25 wingspan, Labaron is far from undersized for a point guard, but he’s rather slim and even if the defence does come around, his defensive ability restricts him to will exclusively being able to guard other players around his size. He gets caught on screens often, and stronger players often give him a lot of trouble, so to me that signals the biggest need for Philon is developing strength (this seems to be a pattern of a lot of guards in this range of the draft).

Labaron’s handle is very good, but it’ll need to become elite if he’s to fill out his potential.

As good of an athlete Labaron is, he doesn’t have much in the way of vertical pop and is a below-the-rim finisher. His efficiency and touch kind of mitigates this concern, but don’t expect him to dunk in the way other guards in this class can.

The Fit (Please?)

Imagine: the Raptors finally find a true successor for Kyle Lowry. Sure, Labaron isn’t as defensively inclined, but he would easily be the most talented offensive point guard the team has ever seen.

Being able to generate rim pressure and space the floor while also operating as the team’s floor general, Labaron would help take the reigns on the offensive end; providing a true scoring option beside Scottie Barnes. Labaron has flashed far more true point guard skills than Immanuel Quickley much earlier in his career, so his presence establishes a clear succession plan at point guard.

Defensively, Labaron has a positive wingspan and an engaged motor, but he’s simply a below average defender right now. I don’t have a lot of concerns about Labaron’s defence just because he plays the least important defensive position and his size and motor should still give him some developmental headroom. I would expect him to top out as at least an average defender before his career is over, but if he doesn’t… well, we just saw an elite offensive point guard with bad defence win finals MVP, so…

Toronto has more than enough personnel who can help mitigate Labaron’s defensive weaknesses on the court.

Conclusion

I understand that we’ve gone through most of the year with Philon as a presumptive lottery lock, but recent intel suggests that he may be falling throughout the pre-draft process, priming him to be a prospect in the Raptors’ crosshairs. Most recent mocks have him falling to 19, and scouts in the know (such as Sam Vecenie of The Athletic) seem to suggest that Philon’s perceived value is not as high as expected.

“He won’t be there when we pick”, I hear you, reader, and I’d be surprised if he falls to 19 as well, but it’s important to realize that very obviously talented players fall out of the lottery every year even if they shouldn’t (Tyrese Maxey, Jared McCain, and Ja’Kobe Walter all immediately come to mind). With that in mind, I would be a fool to not cover the most ideal prospect in this class for the Raptors in Labaron.

I have Labaron Philon at 7th on my board, and honestly I wouldn’t be surprised if he continues to move up a couple more spots as we head closer to the draft. The Raptors should immediately call his name on draft night if he falls to the 19th pick.

Consensus NBA Draft Range: 10-19 (he won’t fall past Toronto)

Brendan’s Ranking: 7th

Floor Projection: High-quality backup guard capable of leading the bench and providing a sparkplug scoring presence, benefits from playing with more skilled scorers in the frontcourt.

Ceiling Projection: All-NBA three level scorer, a true offensive engine.