The 2026 men's NCAA Tournament is down to its Sweet 16 and we'll have a Final Four by Sunday evening. For half of the college stars taking the court this weekend, it's one final opportuniy to impress NBA teams with their play at full game speed when the lights are brightest as this year's draft class comes into focus.
The 2026 NBA draft is expected to take place in late June. In USA TODAY's latest mock draft, Alabama's Labaron Philon Jr. is expected to go in the first round. Here's how USA TODAY currently projects the guard's draft night will play out.
Our draft order is based on ESPN's projected records and factors in trades, including swaps and protections.
Labaron Philon Jr. 2026 NBA Draft prediction: Pick No. 11 overall, Golden State Warriors
Kalbrosky's Analysis:
The Warriors could still use more reliable players in the backcourt and could find a fairly compelling player in Alabama sophomore Labaron Philon. Even though the All-SEC guard is not playing at 100 percent due to injury issues, he has played well in March Madness, recording 29 points in his first game and 12 assists in his second. The guard is now averaging 21.6 points per game and has improved his 3-point shooting from 31.5 percent as a freshman to 39.7 percent as a sophomore, also managing 5.0 assists per game in the process.
See USA TODAY's full mock draft here
Labaron Philon Jr. player profile
(all stats as of March 15)
- Position: Guard
- Current Team: Alabama
- 21.9 points per game
- 3.2 rebounds per game
- 4.7 assists per game
- 50.9% field goal percentage
- 40.2% three-point field goal percentage
Golden State Warriors 2026 projected draft picks
- No. 12 and No. 54 (via LAL)
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Labaron Philon Jr. NBA mock draft projection: Where Alabama star is expected to land