Labaron Philon’s slide to No. 22 already looks like the kind of draft-day miss that can haunt a team.
After a strong sophomore season at Alabama, Philon seemed like the sort of guard who would hear his name called in the lottery. Instead, he kept falling until the Philadelphia 76ers grabbed him at No. 22, and two Summer League games in, that decision is looking awfully sharp.
Philon has wasted no time making his case. In Philadelphia’s 100-93 overtime win over the Pacers, he put up 24 points and six assists and finished at +14. That followed an impressive debut, giving the Sixers a rookie who already looks like he can help a contender.
For at least one team that passed on him, the early returns are not as comfortable.
The Charlotte Hornets had a clear path to take Philon and pair him with former Alabama standout Brandon Miller. Instead, they went with Texas Tech guard Christian Anderson. And while Anderson arrived with a reputation built around his shooting, the first two Summer League games have been rough.
His opening performance: 6 points, 1 rebound, 2 assists in 26 minutes, with a 2-of-11 shooting line and no makes on five three-point tries. In his second game, he finished with 12 points, 3 rebounds and no assists in 28 minutes, going 5-of-14 from the floor and 2-of-8 from deep.
That’s especially notable because Anderson’s biggest selling point was supposed to be his outside shot. Through two games, he’s 2-of-13 from three. Philon, meanwhile, has knocked down 40% of his attempts over the same stretch.
The comparison has been hard to ignore for anyone who watched Alabama’s NCAA Tournament win over Texas Tech. In that 90-65 blowout, Anderson managed 7 points on 2-of-11 shooting. Philon didn’t light it up either, scoring 9 points on 2-of-12 shooting, but he still made a bigger imprint on the game.
Philon added six rebounds and handed out 12 assists, while Anderson was limited to three assists as Texas Tech got buried. Even then, the gap between the two guards felt obvious. After the first couple of Summer League games, it feels even more obvious now.
The Hornets may be figuring that out a little late.
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