The Philadelphia 76ers selected Alabama guard Labaron Philon Jr. with the 22nd pick overall in the NBA Draft.
Mike Gansey entered his first draft as the new team president of basketball operations, leading a team that needed a big, physical wing player or a center to play the minutes needed when Joel Embiid and Andre Drummond are out.
The Sixers are a smaller team with All-Star Tyrese Maxey and last season’s No. 3 pick V.J. Edgecombe in the backcourt.
Philon, the slender 6-foot-3, 176-pound sophomore, thrived as a scorer (22.0) and a playmaker (5.0) as a third-team AP All-American, making a leap in his shooting efficiency (50.1% overall, 39.9% on 3-pointers).
He thrived as the ballhandler in pick-and-rolls (94th percentile in Synergy) and repeatedly beat man defenses in the halfcourt (90th). The 76ers did not have a Round 2 pick.
