Labaron Philon Jr. didn’t open his summer league debut trying to force the issue. On the Sixers’ first possession against the Detroit Pistons, the first-round pick was parked in the corner as a spacer, waiting on the far side of the floor while the action developed elsewhere.
That kind of patience fit the night. Philon was the lone player on this summer league roster the Sixers have any real investment in, and he didn’t come out firing just to make a splash. When his moment arrived, though, he was ready.
His first touch came in a pick-and-roll, with Philon using the screen to stretch the defense as his defender chased through. He stepped back a few paces from the ball screen and buried a 3.
That was the start of a first half in which he hit three triples, but the shooting was only part of the point. Philon also showed real control with the ball, using his dribble to manipulate defenders and create advantages.
It’s only summer league, but bad summer league performances tend to matter. Philon looked like the kind of guard Philadelphia wants him to be. He controlled possessions when the ball was in his hands, and if he wasn’t the best player on the floor, he was clearly the best one the Sixers had.
That ballhandling stood out immediately. Philon looks like he could walk into training camp as perhaps the best ballhandler on the team. His processing speed showed up over and over, as he turned defenders around, baited them into jumping at fakes, and used a jerky handle with smooth changes of pace to carve out lanes into the paint.
Of course, the handle only matters if the finish is there. Philon answered that, too. He dropped a high-arcing floater after the whistle on a screen, then later finished another one closer to the rim when the help defender slid over after he got into the lane.
He also brought energy on defense, which was one of the more encouraging parts of the debut. Philon slid his feet on the ball, beat his man to the baseline on a drive, and forced a kick-out.
Off the ball, he stayed engaged as his assignments moved around the floor, kept a hand on them as they spaced out, and remained in help position with his head on a swivel between the ball and his man. He didn’t ball-watch.
He didn’t lose track of back-door cuts.
Nick Nurse will give Philon opportunities to play through offensive mistakes if he shows he can keep applying that kind of ball pressure. In his summer league debut, the attention was there.
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