Alabama basketball starter, expected 2025-26 leader, lands in first 2026 NBA mock drafts

USA Today

19 hours ago

Alabama basketball received some of the best news it could have hoped for when guard Labaron Philon announced at the end of May that he was returning to Tuscaloosa for his sophomore season rather than remain in the 2025 NBA draft class.
Philon's return gives Nate Oats' team a needed boost after the Crimson Tide lost impact starters Mark Sears, Grant Nelson and Clifford Omoruyi from its 2024-25 roster due to eligibility.
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As the Dallas Mavericks made official what everyone had known for months with the selection of Duke's Cooper Flagg at No. 1 overall in this week's draft, national outlets like ESPN, CBS Sports, Bleacher Report, et al, were already finalizing way-too-early 2026 NBA draft projections.
That's where Philon comes in. After decommitting from Kansas and joining Alabama as a 4-star recruit and the No. 32 overall player in the nation by 247Sports and ESPN, the Mobile native played in all 37 games for the Crimson Tide in 2024-25. He averaged 10.6 points and 3.3 rebounds with 3.8 assists and 1.4 steals.
Philon averaged almost 25 minutes a night last season and tied a season-high with 21 points in the Crimson Tide's rout of Kentucky in the SEC Tournament. He shot 42.5 percent from the field a season ago.
In Bleacher Report's first 2026 NBA mock draft on Friday, Philon landed at No. 27 overall with analyst Jonathan Wasserman saying:
"He'll return to Alabama to improve his shooting, which is a potential needle-mover for a point guard who already excels at getting to his spots, setting up teammates and scoring with unteachable touch inside the arc."
Philon also landed on ESPN's first 2026 NBA mock draft in roughly the same spot. Analysts Jonathan Givony and Jeremy Woo have Philon at No. 28 overall, one spot ahead of Florida Gators big man Alex Condon.
Philon being a late-round projection heading into 2025-26 could work to his advantage. He had a fair amount of confidence in his draft stock after telling ESPN's Jeff Borzello in May that the door was closed on a return to Alabama.
There's obvious talent in his shot and overall play, but a sophomore season in college basketball's toughest conference could make Philon as battle-tested for the NBA as almost anyone in 2026