Heading into the season, a lot of people expected Philadelphia to find minutes for rookie guard Labaron Philon Jr. in their usual rotation. Well, that could not be any further from reality, as he has just been assigned to the Delaware Blue Coats in the G League after he failed to get real reps with the 76ers in the early part of the season.
The front office and the coaching staff had rave reviews for Philon during training camp, so the first-year guard himself probably also expected to be in line for regular minutes once the season began. Unfortunately, Nick Nurse has not committed to him at all. So far, he has appeared in eight of their 13 games so far, averaging a measly 5.6 minutes per outing. Put simply, he has been nothing more than a benchwarmer to kickstart his NBA career.
76ers trump expectations and send Labaron Philon Jr. to the G League
With Anfernee Simons and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope soaking up all the minutes in the backcourt off the bench, there was simply no room left for Philon to sneak into the rotation. It also does not help that he has not shot the ball well so far, a slump that actually started during the preseason when he was largely inefficient shooting the rock.
The 76ers are operating under a stern win-now edict, so their decision to mothball Philon falls squarely into their careful plan to accelerate the team's chemistry and maximize their chances of winning now. At this juncture, Philly is not designed to exercise the required degree of patience to develop Philon, which is a more burdensome trek given the steeper learning curve typically faced by rookie guards.
For now, all Philon can do is to make the most of his stint in Delaware to get reps on the hardwood and wait for his turn with the 76ers. Given the number of injury-prone players on the squad, there is a good chance that he gets called up frequently to play off the bench.
Hopefully, by that time, Philon will be able to showcase his more efficient scoring, improved playmaking, and more competent defense. Right now, he simply is not of the ilk that the 76ers would prefer to have off the bench. If he can tick those boxes off, he could get his desired shot, and the expectations around him in his first year could materialize, albeit with some delay.
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