Making it to the NBA has been practically a lifelong dream for Alabama men's basketball guard Labaron Philon as he donned Stephen Curry and Michael Jordan jerseys everywhere he went as a kid. He just wrapped his freshman year with the Crimson Tide and declared for the 2025 NBA Draft in April.
The 2025 NBA Draft Lottery concluded on Monday night, meaning that the order of the draft, which will occur on June 25-26 in Brooklyn, N.Y., is set. Mock drafts continue to pour in following the lottery, as Philon has often been projected to land in the late first round or early in the second.
It's difficult for NBA fans to get an idea for the play style of the 70-plus prospects hoping to hear their name called next month, so analysts often give the players a pro comparison. This typically occurs as the draft gets closer, but Philon revealed a player he likes to emulate his game from in February.
"I usually watch a lot of Westbrook, a lot of great point guards in the NBA and just try to take game from everybody and just put it all in one,” Philon told BamaCentral.
There's no doubt that Westbrook will be in the Basketball Hall of Fame some day as the 36-year-old is a nine-time NBA All-Star (winning the star-studded game's MVP award twice), a two-time scoring and three-time assists league champion, won the NBA MVP award during the 2016-17 season and is a member of the the prestigious NBA 75th Anniversary Team.
While Philon isn't necessarily a high-flying dunker like Westbrook, the 19-year-old drives to the basket with the intention to hit layups or floaters far more often than pulling up for jump-shots at the top of the key. Philon also took the ball up most possessions while at Alabama and used his speed to open the floor––which helped him dish the eighth-most assists per game last season.
Alabama assistant coach Preston Murphy was also asked by BamaCentral in February for an NBA player comparison to Philon. Murphy said Boston Celtics guard Jrue Holiday, a correlation that Philon agreed with. Holiday has also had a long career with two rings and two NBA All-Star appearances. But the asset that's made the 34-year-old tremendously successful is his defense, as he's a six-time NBA All-Defensive Team member and has finished top-8 in the Defensive Player of the Year voting five times.
Philon's defense has been mentioned just as frequently as his offense over the past year. Philon was typically assigned to guard the best player of Alabama's 2024-25 opponents. This energy and competitiveness became apparent the second he came to Tuscaloosa as he wanted to guard Consensus First Team All-American Mark Sears in his very first practice. Philon also led Alabama in steals per game this past season with 1.4.
Philon is currently at the NBA Combine in Chicago. He will be participating in many drills at the NBA Combine but will not compete in the 5x5 scrimmages. Philon received measurements on Monday, but how do the numbers look next to Westbrook's and Holiday's when they were at the NBA Combine in 2008 and 2009 respectively.
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