Labaron Philon Jr. relies on ‘stay ready’ mindset while on the outskirts of Sixers’ star-studded rotation
Philon, selected 22nd overall in the NBA draft, is navigating inconsistent playing time for the loaded Sixers.
When VJ Edgecombe left the Xfinity Mobile Arena court for the locker room to check on an injury early in the 76ers’ Oct. 24 win over the Milwaukee Bucks, Nick Nurse called to Labaron Philon Jr. from the bench.
It was an abrupt NBA debut for the 20-year-old guard. And it lasted less than four minutes of game action, with Edgecombe returning after a brief spin on the stationary bike.
“Definitely pretty exciting,” Philon recently recalled of that moment. “But [it was about] just calming everything down, getting back to my normal senses, and trying to focus on the game.”
That likely is going to be Philon’s game day life for the foreseeable future on a loaded Sixers roster with championship hopes and off to a 7-1 start. When the guard group is at full strength, the rookie sits just outside the rotation. When any of those perimeter teammates are sidelined for injury or rest, Philon is next in line to play.
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Cue the early crash course in the “stay ready” mantra that has become synonymous with NBA role players.
“From the time I wake up to the time I go to sleep, I think I have great energy,” Philon told The Inquirer last week before the Sixers’ shootaround at Indiana. “Positive energy. Just being in that way, I feel like, more than being down on myself for not playing. …
“It’s been a learning process for me, and also going to be a great process for me.”
Entering Wednesday’s matchup at the Detroit Pistons, Philon had logged minutes in five of the Sixers’ eight games. Unsurprisingly, his longest on-court stretches arrived during matchups against Detroit and at the Charlotte Hornets that both fell on the second night of a back-to-back. He has made five of his 13 shot attempts, grabbed five rebounds, and committed one turnover in 35 total minutes.
Philon’s general role so far is comparable to what Nurse laid out near the end of the preseason. Though not necessarily in direct competition with sharpshooting reserve guard Anfernee Simons, the coach expected Philon would “[get] a crack, probably in pretty short stints, at the start.”
That is a bit of a pivot for Nurse, who is typically unfazed by playing rookies. Last season he had no hesitation about immediately starting Edgecombe, who went on to finish third on an excellent Rookie of the Year ballot. He also gave significant minutes right away to former Sixers guard Jared McCain, making him a front-runner for the 2025 Rookie of the Year award before his meniscus surgery.
It initially looked like Philon might be next. He slipped to the Sixers at No. 22 overall in the NBA draft, following a terrific sophomore season at Alabama. Then in the Las Vegas Summer League, he flashed his fearless style as a ballhandler, shot-taker, and on-ball defender.
But the Sixers’ transformational offseason continued to unfold. They traded for All-NBA wing Jaylen Brown, and signed the legendary LeBron James. They also bolstered their bench by adding Simons, along with veteran wings Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Dean Wade.
When a hamstring injury sidelined Simons for the preseason, however, Philon received a ton of reps. That included a “welcome to the NBA moment” during the Sixers’ first training camp practice, when Philon found himself backpedaling as the imposing James barreled toward his 6-foot-3, 179-pound frame. Philon was a standout during the Sixers’ exhibition games, spending time as a primary ballhandler and crunch-time player.
Though Nurse lauded Philon’s “really excellent” compete level since joining the Sixers, as Simons neared his return for the season opener, the coach acknowledged he likely would favor playing the veterans.
“It’s harder for him to get on the floor,” Nurse said of Philon. “Like I always say, I lean toward playing [rookies], right? But not at the expense of anything else when you’ve got other healthy, really good players in front. You can’t just gift anybody minutes.”
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Simons, coincidentally, can relate to Philon’s current position in the guard pecking order. When Simons first entered the NBA as a teenager, he joined the Portland Trail Blazers anchored by backcourt stars Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum. Simons only played in 20 games as a rookie, and logged double-digit minutes four times.
Yet Simons still learned how to use his pregame warmup to get himself “mentally conditioned” just in case, “one rainy day, they just throw you in the lineup.” Simons said last week that he has been impressed with Philon’s immediate knack for being “super locked in, each and every day.”
“I feel like that’s one of the more slept-on things to be able to navigate,” Simons said. “Because it’s super difficult. Being [in] that mindset of not getting in the game, you can easily be just not locked in and just going through the motions day-by-day and then be not prepared when your number is called.”
Philon appreciates those veteran teammates whom he said “are willing to help” with his NBA adjustment. He also credited the Sixers’ coaching staff’s reassuring and motivational messaging, that his limited minutes are “not [based on] your talent level, [but] you have to put more work in.” In the Sixers’ only loss this season, on Oct. 25 against Detroit, Nurse commended Philon’s ability to organize the offense, play scrappy defense, and hit a kick-out shot against the physical Pistons.
Aggressive defensive playmaking remains a priority for Philon in film study and while going up against the Sixers’ elite offensive star power in practices and shootarounds. So is developing his NBA routine, from arriving early at the facility for treatment to getting up extra shots after the team session. That all can help stabilize the jarring parts of the NBA grind, such as his first two back-to-backs.
“You’re doing the same thing over and over every day, and you kind of get used to it,” Philon said. “ … You just show up early and just get all the stuff done, and it goes by fast. The days, they really go by fast.“
Another reason Philon must stay ready, the NBA mantra he has already experienced firsthand.
“I’ve got to work 10 times harder than anybody else,” he said. “ … I feel like that’s been a great starter for me. Having a strong mindset, that’s what it boils down to, really.”
Inquirer beat reporters Gina Mizell and Chris Hine go behind the scenes of covering LeBron James, Jaylen Brown and the Sixers’ star-studded roster, and debate what’s real and not real about the team’s hot start. Watch here.
Watch the full interview below and subscribe to the Sixers Extra podcast on Spotify or Apple Podcasts.
