
The NBA Lottery was drawn on Sunday afternoon, and the order for the first 14 picks of the 2026 Draft is officially set.
The University of Alabama has five representatives hoping to hear their name called during the draft on June 23 and 24: Labaron Philon Jr., Amari Allen, Latrell Wrightsell Jr., Houston Mallette and Noah Williamson. Philon and Allen will compete at the NBA Draft Combine in Chicago this week, but the other three didn't receive an invitation.
Philon and Allen have been featured in countless mock drafts since the college basketball season concluded. Following Sunday's lottery, their names appeared on numerous mocks once again. So, ahead of the Combine, here's where the two of them are projected by 10 media outlets.
Philon's decision to enter the NBA Draft was an easy one following his sophomore campaign. The four-time SEC Player of the Week finished third in the conference in points per game (21.5 on 50.7 percent from the field) and fourth in assists per game (4.8). He was named a Third Team All-American by each of the voting organizations and also landed a spot on the All-SEC First Team.
Allen started in 24 of his 32 games played this past season, as he averaged 11.4 points, 6.9 rebounds, 3.1 assists, 1.0 steals and 0.7 blocks. He was named the SEC Freshman of the Week three times, which led to him being named one of five players on the All-SEC Freshman Team.
Allen was consistently featured in the first round of mocks for the 2026 NBA Draft throughout the season. Head coach Nate Oats was adamant that NBA teams would want him because he's "all about winning," and Nick Saban was also impressed by him when he attended a game.
However, he hit a bit of a slump in March, as his numbers in every stat category took a dip. Allen's projections proceeded to move from the late teens to the mid-20s/early second round of the draft, and it's a big reason why he could return to Alabama for 2026-27 pending his NBA Combine performance.
The deadline to withdraw from the 2026 NBA Draft is May 27. Should he excel this week in Chicago and receive good feedback from NBA scouts, coaches and general managers, he won't need to worry about that.
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