Former Alabama basketball star Labaron Philon is settling in with his new team, the Philadelphia Seventy sixers. Observers of the Philadelphia Seventy sixers are focusing on Labaron Philon’s apparent role as primary back-up point guard. Head coach Nick Nurse may rely on the former Crimson Tide star to give starters Tyrese Maxey and VJ Edgecombe a chance to rest. Philon’s forty percent success rate with three pointers reportedly has seventy sixers fans hopeful he can bolster the team’s reputation as having one of the worst scoring benches in the NBA.
Philon was the only Alabama player in the draft this year, going at number twenty two Forward Amari Allen wanted to go pro, but later changed his mind and returned to play for the Tide.The top four picks in the NBA draft are receiving marquee billing in the NBA Summer League schedule released Friday.
The Washington Wizards are expected to showcase No. 1 pick AJ Dybantsa when they play the Utah Jazz and No. 2 pick Darryn Peterson on the opening day of the Summer League on July 9 in Las Vegas. All 76 games of the Summer League from July 9-19 will be played at the Thomas & Mack Center and Pavilion. The games will be televised by Prime Video or ESPN platforms.
The regular schedule, with each team playing at least five games, ends on July 16. The semifinals are scheduled for July 18 and the championship is set for July 19. Peterson is expected to play in the Salt Lake City Summer League that begins on July 4, so the game against Dybantsa and Washington in Las Vegas is not expected to be his first opportunity to play for the Jazz. Even so, the matchup of the top two draft picks was highlighted by the NBA.
Also notable is the matchup between the Miami Heat and Milwaukee Bucks on July 10. That will be four days after Miami's acquisition of Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo becomes official. Memphis and No. 3 pick Cameron Boozer will play their Summer League opener against Chicago and No. 4 pick Caleb Wilson on July 10. That game also was promoted by the NBA as a “marquee” matchup.
Each of the two pairings involving the top four picks was scheduled for primetime tipoffs.
