Sixers' Labaron Philon Jr. details importance of working on his craft

CAMDEN, N.J. — As Philadelphia 76ers rookie Labaron Philon Jr. continues to prepare for his maiden season in the NBA, the young guard knows he has to work hard in the gym in order to get to where he wants to go.

The No. 22 overall pick in the draft, Philon is listed at 6-foot-2 and has to rely on his shiftiness and footwork in order to get past taller defenders. That means getting on the floor and working on perfecting everything about his game in an effort to be tough to guard on the offensive end for defenders to truly understand what he is going to do.

“I would just say with the ball-handling definitely started in the streets in my mom’s backyard, but definitely at Alabama working on everything I needed to work on,” Philon stated. “Work on getting to the paint, working on slowing things down and making the game easy for you and the people around you. I feel like that’s one of the best traits that I bring to the table, really.”

Philon is a team player who is looking to make the game easier for everybody on the floor. Whether that’s by taking the game over with his scoring ability or with his speed, shiftiness, and playmaking, he is going to find a way to impact the game. That determination right there is going to make him a fan favorite in Philadelphia and what he can bring to the Sixers.

“Just like making the game easy for others, really just getting into the paint and being able to provide for myself and my teammates,” Philon stated. “I feel like just working on that footwork and things like that is very important just to have those options and not just look to score the ball. For me, that’s a very important trait.”

In order to succeed in Philadelphia, one has to be mentally tough, be able to attack the day, and compete at a high level on a daily basis. That right there will make Philon a success story in this city.

“That competitive juice is everything to me,” Philon finished. “Being able to compete, I feel like you have to compete hard to survive in this league. So, just bringing that to the table from day one, I feel like is special. It’s special just for a rookie to be able to compete with the top guys and the top dogs. So, really from day one, being able to work and get on the court.”

This article originally appeared on Sixers Wire: Sixers’ Labaron Philon Jr. details importance of working on his craft