Labaron Philon Jr. has watched the Sixers undergo major changes since they drafted him in June, writes Tony Jones of The Athletic. A few days after the draft, the team completed a blockbuster trade by acquiring Jaylen Brown from Boston. Another huge move followed later in July when LeBron James announced that he was signing with Philadelphia.
Within a few weeks, Philon saw the Sixers transformed into the most talked-about team in the NBA. He’ll be surrounded by stars as he begins his career and may have to battle for playing time, but he welcomes the opportunity.
“I’m lucky and fortunate that I’m coming to a team that’s a contender,” Philon said. “I’m grateful for that. I feel like I’m going to have a chance to compete on a team full of veterans. That doesn’t happen to everyone, so I feel lucky with that. My mindset is to continue to work and continue to get better. I want to embrace this, and coming into the league, I want to embrace what’s in front of me.”
In a draft filled with talented point guards, the Sixers were confident that one would fall to them with the 22nd pick, Jones adds. Philon had an impressive showing during Summer League, even as teams adjusted their defense to stop him. The coaching staff told him to focus on driving into the paint, where he displayed an ability to score and create open shots for teammates.
“He’s talented, and, in my mind, he’s going to begin camp in the rotation,” coach Nick Nurse said. “He’s dynamic with the basketball, and he plays with a short memory. Those are things that you can’t teach.”
There’s more on the Sixers:
Adam Aaronson of The Philly Voice examines the merits of giving Brown a one-year extension now rather than waiting until next summer when he’ll become eligible to have his contract extended by three years. The Sixers already owe Brown $185MM over the next three seasons and may want to get a better look at how he fits in with the team before committing to another year. He can make up to 35% of the 2029/30 salary cap, which could pay him close to $70MM. Aaronson states that there’s no upside to giving Brown another year right away, and notes that his contract, along with Joel Embiid‘s and Tyrese Maxey‘s, are all set to expire in three years, which would be the first season of VJ Edgecombe‘s presumed extension.
The Sixers were willing to part with a 2027 second-round pick to sendJohni Broome to the Clippers rather than accept the expense of waiving and stretching his contract, Aaronson notes in the same piece. Even though Broome would have only counted for about $300K against the salary cap for the next seven seasons, Aaronson notes that every dollar can be important in the apron era.
The NBA schedule is still being finalized, but the Sixers are expected to have 34 games featured on television, which is the maximum allowed under the league’s media rights deal, according to Front Office Sports (Twitter link).