Philon believes his ‘competitive juice' will serve him well with Sixers originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia
CAMDEN, N.J. — Labaron Philon Jr. is not naive to the reality that he’ll need to prove himself in the NBA.
That’s fine by him. The Sixers’ first-round draft pick will be happy to show he belongs.
“That competitive juice is everything to me,” Philon said Thursday at the Sixers’ training complex. “Being able to compete. I feel like you have to compete hard to survive in this league. So just bringing that to the table from day one, I feel like that’s special.
“It’s special just for a rookie to be able to compete with the top guys and the top dogs. From day one, really being able to work and get on the court.”
With family and Sixers brass in the front row, the 22nd selection handled his first professional press conference with local reporters and then posed for photos holding his new jersey, No. 00.
Of course, No. 0 belongs to All-Star teammate Tyrese Maxey. Both Maxey and VJ Edgecombe welcomed Philon with a FaceTime call on draft night.
“Hearing from those guys is definitely special,” Philon said. “Those are two of the best guards on one of the best teams in the (Eastern Conference). … I watched those guys play all season long. One thing I’ll say about those guys is they’re just competitors.
“For me, being able to come in, compete and bring it to the level that those guys did — VJ especially his first year, with the things he went through. And Max, being able to learn from somebody that’s a really great player, a superstar in our league. … Being able to compete with those guys is definitely going to be special.”
If Philon’s hunger to improve propels him to anything resemblingMaxey’s trajectory, the Sixers would be thrilled.
As a rookie, they’ll hope the 20-year-old guard hones the multitude of offensive skills that enabled him to post 22.0 points and 5.0 assists per game last season at Alabama. Sixers president of basketball operations Mike Gansey also believes Philon is ultimately capable of being more than a passable defender. Philon averaged 1.4 steals in 24.7 minutes per game as a freshman, though Gansey noted late Tuesday night that his defense “took a little bit of a step back” the following season.
“His freshman year he was picking up full court,” Gansey said. “He’s got great hands, he’s got good instincts, he’s smart, he’s tough. He’s not afraid to get physical and compete. It’s going to take time because he’s got to get stronger, but I think there’s some room to grow physically. And then he’s smart enough and tough enough. He’ll try to hold his own and the hope is he can be average to above average and get better in that area over time.”
Philon weighed in at 176 pounds at the NBA draft combine, making him the lightest player taken in the first round. He knows there’s a slew of defensive challenges to come.
“My skills are definitely to be a ball hawk and just get steals, and being able to pressure the ball at the point of attack,” Philon said. “I feel like to be a guard in the NBA, you have to be able to do that and play both sides. I feel like that’s a big thing for me, but it’s really just like that same mentality I had at Alabama, to take it to the next level. … You’ve got to scout different guys every night. It’s important to know what guys’ favorite thing to do is.
“And just being on that end of the floor, you have to be locked in, especially at the next level, just because it’s top guys every night.”
Gansey called Philon a “monster worker from Alabama.”
He’s accustomed to fine-tuning his game behind the scenes, picturing himself dissecting and flummoxing elite defenses.
The real thing is up next in the NBA and he sure won’t mind the competition.
“I would say you have to use a lot of imagination in those workouts, putting yourself in a position that you’d be in a game,” Philon said. “For me, it’s always going game speed and being able to get game reps, and just replicating that.
“I feel like if you’re working out and you’re not going at game pace, you’re not going to have a feel for what it’s like to be in the moment.”
