LaBaron Philon was one of college basketball's most dangerous scorers, and this prominent franchise could get extraordinary value outside of the top-10.
Unlike last year, Alabama guard LaBaron Philon has no plans to withdraw his name from the upcoming NBA Draft.
As a matter of fact, Philon spent this past season for the Crimson Tide, boosting his draft value in hopes to find his way into the lottery.
The Draft can be a crap shoot, so there are no guarantees, but you’d be hard pressed to find another high volume lead guard who can put up 20 points on any given night like Philon.
Even though we’re in the midst of the NBA Playoffs, it’s never too late to start mocking for the Draft, and based on the data, Philon continues to find himself in the 11-16 range.
Two analysts from CBS Sports, Adam Finkelstein and Gary Parrish, have Philon projected to land 13th overall with the Miami Heat.
Miami had dealt with a rather disappointing season, losing to the Charlotte Hornets in the first round of the NBA Play-In. However, there’s no shortage of guards in Miami.
This past season, Davion Mitchell was the Heat’s starting point guard, and thrived in that role. However, for a team that seems like it’s rebuilding, Mitchell, who’s in the prime of his career, would thrive more in a sixth-man role for a playoff roster.
Since arriving in Miami, Mitchell is having the best stretch of his career, averaging 9.6 points per game, 6.1 assists, and 1.1 steals, while also averaging 29.5 minutes.
Additionally, star guard Tyler Herro is approaching his final season in his four-year contract. Heat President of Basketball Operations, Pat Riley is a stingy negotiator, and Herro has had a hard time consistently staying on the floor.
You can argue that Herro is amongst the best shooters in the NBA, however in that case, he may not want to play for a rebuilding team.
Philon is the perfect guard for a rebuilding roster, with his ability to create offense for himself. He started off last season as an average 3-point shooter, but as the season progressed, he became a more efficient outside shooter, with a season average of 40%, and had shot 50% from the field.
He also increased his assist output of 5.0 assists per game, as well as averaging 1.3 steals over the past two seasons.
The Heat have lacked a true high-volume shot creator since trading away Jimmy Butler. While Herro remains one of the league’s better perimeter scorers, a player like Philon could give Miami another guard capable of consistently creating offense off the dribble and injecting life back into South Beach.
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