The Philadelphia 76ers had a very eventful offseason kickstarted by the addition of Labaron Philon Jr. in this year's NBA draft. The rookie guard likewise showed a lot of encouraging signs early in the Summer League, making him a shoo-in for the team's usual rotation when the regular season commences next month. That being said, it appears that the team could have a concern about him ahead of his freshman campaign with regard to his thin frame.
As pointed out by Philly Voice's Adam Aaronson, the 76ers could be concerned about Philon possibly being a weak point on the defensive end. Standing at 6'4" but weighing just 176 pounds, he is likely going to be targeted by his more experienced and bigger counterparts on defense. That could very well affect how much the coaching staff deploys him early on.
The 76ers already have an issue with Labaron Philon Jr.'s thin frame
Philon's biggest selling point as a rookie prospect is his three-level scoring –– there is no question about that. However, the 76ers are operating under a stern win-now edict, which makes it imperative for all players expected to be in the rotation to not be one-trick ponies.
The rookie guard, as Gansey said, needs to bulk up eventually. After all, the last thing the 76ers need from their complementary players around their stars is a liability on defense who cannot guard a traffic cone to save his life. Now, Philon is not necessarily completely lacking in defensive acuity, but with his thin frame, opposing players are going to try to pick on him on D.
There is also the fact that the 76ers are not exactly in urgent need of the Alabama product's best trait. Scoring is already abundant on the roster when healthy. As such, if he cannot prove his mettle on defense and show consistent effort on that end, Nick Nurse and the coaching staff will –– and should –– not think twice about swapping him out for a more foolproof option on the bench.
Philadelphia's brain trust and the 76ers fanbase are expecting great things from Labaron Philon Jr. in his rookie season, but it might be prudent for people to temper their expectations on what his role could end up being. After all, this team is ripe to contend, but the rookie still has a critical area to work on in order to be a viable part of the regular rotation.
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