The Philadelphia 76ers are about to get a real dry run on what their rotation and lineup could look like in the preseason, and one player who has a lot to play for in camp is rookie Labaron Philon Jr. The guard is projected to be a key player in the second unit in most depth charts, but his best path to getting consistent playing time is by being a capable defender and not just leaning into his scoring affinity. Fortunately, he says he is already prioritizing that department.
In his Media Day availability, Philon bared to the reporters that he is doubling down on his defense right now in training camp. He acknowledged that being a two-way player is the best way for him to carve out minutes on a 76ers team teeming with talent and not exactly lacking in the scoring department, which is the rookie's best trait coming to the league. If anything, it seems like he is already addressing what might just be his biggest red flag.
Labaron Philon is now addressing a big concern about him for the 76ers
There are sentiments about Philon possibly not getting as much minutes as expected in his rookie campaign due to his perceived lack of defensive acuity, a prognosis that comes from his lean and small frame. Again, the 76ers will be interested in surrounding their talented core with players who can do things aside from scoring and without having the ball in their hands for the most part.
Philon is admittedly a score-first guard who can hit shots from anywhere on the court, but the best bid he can tender to the coaching staff to place a lot of trust in him early on is to become a good defender. The 76ers have competent players on defense across the board, so teams will definitely try to attack the rookie as much as possible when he gets deployed.
The preseason presents the best platform for Philon to showcase that he can be competent on that end. The 76ers do not need him to be an All-Defensive Team-caliber stopper right off the bat. As long as he can show that he is not a weak point on that end, his footing on the second unit should be cemented.
With the 76ers operating under a stern win-now edict, getting minutes would normally be difficult for a rookie. Fortunately, Labaron Philon is already cognizant of what it takes for him to be a difference-maker, and that begins with being a standout on the less glamorous end of the floor, as he himself said.
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