First-round pick Labaron Philon Jr. made his summer league debut as the Sixers took on the Detroit Pistons in their first game of the summer circuit.<\/p>\n
Here is how he fared.<\/p>\n
The first half showcased the allure of Philon’s game from every angle. <\/p>\n
The night the Sixers drafted Philon, Mike Gansey told reporters that that selection would help get Tyrese Maxey off the ball more. On the Sixers’ very first possession of the game, Philon served as a spacer. He stood in the corner and patiently waited away from the action unfolding across the floor.<\/p>\n
Think about that for a moment. The only player on the summer league roster that the Sixers have any investment in. Most people could not name the players on the team with him. He didn’t come out looking to set the world on fire the moment the game started.<\/p>\n
But when the time came, Philon was ready to go. His very first touch came in a pick-and-roll, Philon stringing out the defense as his man chased through the ball screen. Philon opted for a step-back 3 a few paces out of the ball screen and laced it.<\/p>\n
Although Philon registered three 3s in the first half, he validated Philadelphia’s vision with more than just the shooting and spacing. He was very poised with the ball, manipulating defenders with his dribble. It’s only summer league. But a bad summer league is usually a bad sign for a player’s staying power in the NBA. Philon controlled the game when the ball was in his hands. If he wasn’t the best player on the floor, he was certainly the best player the Sixers had.<\/p>\n
The skills that will be there on day one stood out. <\/p>\n
Philon will walk into training camp as perhaps the best ballhandler on the team. Processing speed is one of his gifts. Philon was comfortably able to turn defenders around and get them to jump at fakes, moving them out of position with his jerky handle and seamless change of speed so that he could find angles to get into the paint.<\/p>\n
But if you’ve ever heard of the phrase “Million-dollar move, five-cent finish”, you know that the smooth handle means nothing if the touch within the arc isn’t there. Philon dropped a high-arcing floater after the whistle on a screen, and later got one to drop closer to the hoop just as the helper slid over to protect the basket after the Sixers guard broke into the interior.<\/p>\n
One of the more impressive things Philon did was actually defend with energy while trying to impress on offense. He slid his feet on the ball, beating his man to the baseline on a drive and forcing him to turn around and pass out of the touch.<\/p>\n
Philon defended his assignments as they moved off the ball, too. He kept a hand on them as they spaced away and then kept his head on a swivel as he took up help position between the ball and his man. He didn’t ball-watch. He didn’t get beat back-door.<\/p>\n
Nick Nurse will give Philon chances to play through offensive woes if he proves he can sustain the ball pressure. The attention was there in his summer league debut.<\/p>\n
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