The Philadelphia 76ers have seen numerous standout performances in the Vegas leg of the Summer League. One very encouraging sign so far for the team is rookie guard Labaron Philon Jr., who has already managed to turn a lot of heads with his strong play right off the bat. The highly touted scoring guard out of Alabama has definitely been as good as advertised with his flashy three-level scoring so far.
As such, head coach Nick Nurse seems to have already seen enough of Philon to throw him into the fire to start the upcoming season. As reported by The Athletic's Tony Jones, Nurse himself told reporters that he sees Philon being part of the rotation in the next campaign. If anything, that is a pretty resounding vote of confidence for the rookie.
Philon, whom the 76ers drafted with the 22nd overall pick in the draft which they acquired in the Jared McCain trade, has had a stellar start to the Summer League. In a pair of outings so far, he has registered 21 points and 6.5 assists per game en route to two dubs in just as many games.
Nick Nurse makes a huge announcement about 76ers rookie Labaron Philon Jr.
The 76ers already have a strong backcourt rotation with Tyrese Maxey, VJ Edgecombe, and Anfernee Simons, who is another newcomer. However, as the team saw last season, they cannot just rely on three guards to fill the rotation up. That is where Philon cuts his place in the equation, as he can give the team a reliable fourth guard who can make the bench more lethal.
Last season, Philly's second unit ranked 27th in scoring. Having Philon and Simons spearhead the bench will do wonders for the team in that regard. Both players are combo guards with three-level scoring which will be a terror for opposing defenses to handle.
Nurse typically is not the kind to trust rookies all that much, but with the team in dire need of firepower off the bench, incorporating Philon into the regular rotation is simply the sensible choice. He cannot make the same mistake of underplaying his young guns as he did with McCain last season so hopefully, he has already learned his lesson.
It is still a tad too early to make a definitive call, but the 76ers certainly nailed their draft selection in Labaron Philon Jr. Now, the ball in now on the coaching staff's court to make sure he acclimates more easily in the league as the competition gets tougher from here on out.
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