Labaron Philon - NBA Mock Draft Roundup 2.0

NBA teams are excited to see Philon up close during the pre-draft process after a breakout freshman season at Alabama that didn't necessarily answer all the questions about his potential as a one-and-done. On the plus side, he's a terrific athlete who played whatever role Alabama asked of him this year. Sometimes he was on the ball, taking ball screens and running the offense. Other times, he was asked to be a secondary ballhandler and attack creases when they presented themselves, then make reads off that to either finish or kick the ball out. On defense, I liked his energy and activity. Philon's draft range is pretty wide right now. He could immensely help himself during the pre-draft process and see himself spike far up the board, or he ends up more in the late-first, early-second range.

Philon started for an elite team all year as a true freshman and made big contributions despite not having a reliable outside jumper yet. The 6'4 guard has one of the better handles in the class, and he does a tremendous job manipulating pace to punch holes in the opposing defense. He's a solid live-dribble passer who can kick out to teammates for threes, and he has a developing mid-range/floater game to score even when he doesn't make it all the way to the rim. Philon's defense is also intriguing with quick hands that generated the most steals on the Crimson Tide by a big margin. The catch with Philon is he isn't a great outside shooter yet (31.5 percent from deep) and he has trouble finishing over length. If the shot comes around, his game feels built for the playoffs.

Philon's gait with the ball is a bit unorthodox, but he's quick and attacks open space, frequently reminding me of high-processing game managers like Mike Conley or Rajon Rondo. His shot will have to evolve so that he can avoid inevitably being dared to shoot in important games, but I trust that Philon will figure out how to coexist well enough with Brooklyn's bucket-lusting guards to become a playoff series regular.

There's likely to be signifiant interest from smart teams late in the first round and early in the second round in a young talent like Philon, who flashed major potential in spurts at Alabama as a true freshman. He's an exciting on-ball defender with burst and ball skills to grow into a starting guard. That's hard to find this late in the draft, even if he isn't ready to do so as a rookie.

This is Detroit's lone pick in this draft. How will the Pistons build on what was such a promising step forward this season? Adding another creator next to Cade Cunningham would make sense, especially someone like Philon, who is a shifty point guard with a buttery floater, advanced pick-and-roll playmaking, and a deceptive handle that lets him control the tempo. His feathery touch teases untapped shooting potential, but he's got to prove it to become an offensive maestro. Next to Cade, there'd be less pressure on being the man and he could instead thrive as a supporter.