'He's So Smart': Why Labaron Philon's Numbers Skyrocketed in Year 2 Under Nate Oats

Labaron Philon Jr. would've been a late first to mid second-round pick if he stayed in the 2025 NBA Draft.

But he withdrew his name from the pool at the deadline with hopes of improving his stock after an All-SEC Freshman campaign. It wound up being the correct move for him, as this past season the four-time SEC Player of the Week finished third in the conference in points per game (21.5 on 50.7 percent from the field) and fourth in assists per game (4.8).

The All-SEC First Team member became the third player in program history with 700 points in a single season and the 57th with 1,000 career points. Philon is the first power-4 player since 2000 who averaged 21-plus points, 4-plus assists and shot over 50 percent from the field. These accolades helped him become named a Third Team All-American by all four NCAA outlets (AP, USBWA, NABC and Sporting News).

So, how did head coach Nate Oats play a role in Philon's extreme improvement?

"It's coach Oats' ability to develop guys," Philon said at the NBA Draft prospect availability in New York City on Monday. "He's so smart, and he knows what he's doing. Him just having that mindset that people have got to get better. Getting guys to come back and play for him, I would say that's a big thing."

Philon said that success in Year 2 under Oats and assistant Preston Murphy is part of their pitch to players in limbo, but that wasn't necessarily the case when he was in the 2025 draft process.

"They stayed connected, but we weren't really talking every day," Philon said. "But I feel like now, I talk to them almost every day. Just having that relationship, I think they're going to be here today [in Brooklyn for Tuesday's NBA Draft]. So, just talking to them almost every day from my freshman and sophomore years was really important."

Philon is far from the first Alabama player to have his numbers skyrocket in Year under Oats compared to Year 1. Here's a look at some Crimson Tide examples over the last seven years.

Herb Jones:

2019-20 – 7.9 PPG, 26.5 MPG
2020-21 – 11.2 PPG, 27.3 MPG (SEC Player & Defensive Player of the Year)

Keon Ellis:

2020-21 – 5.5 PPG, 17.5 MPG
2021-22 – 12.1 PPG, 30.9 MPG (All-SEC Defensive Team)

Rylan Griffen:

2022-23 – 5.9 PPG, 15.7 MPG
2023-24 – 11.2 PPG, 26.3 MPG

Mark Sears:

2022-23 – 12.5 PPG, 29.8 MPG
2023-24 – 21.5 PPG, 33.6 MPG (Second Team All-American, All-SEC First Team)

Aiden Sherrell:

2024-25 – 3.4 PPG, 8.8 MPG
2025-26 – 11.1 PPG, 23.9 MPG (SEC blocks leader)

Aden Holloway:

2024-25 – 11.4 PPG, 21.1 MPG
2025-26 – 16.8 PPG, 28.4 MPG (All-SEC Third Team)

Labaron Philon Jr.:

2024-25 – 10.6 PPG, 24.7 MPG (All-SEC Freshman Team)
2025-26 – 22.9 PPG, 30.9 MPG (Third Team All-American, All-SEC First Team)

Philon is expected to be a top-20 pick in the 2026 NBA Draft. So what has he learned from the 2025 withdrawal?

"I would say just not rushing the process, being able to take the feedback that I got, because it was really good," Philon said. "Really, just being back at Alabama, I felt that I was going to get better every day and put the work in...and so I decided to come back.

"I called the guys returning and it was special. Coach Oats wanted me to come back there and play that style of basketball and it really helped."

Philon will walk across the Barclays Center stage in Brooklyn, New York, on Tuesday night. The draft is set to tip off at 7 p.m. CT on ESPN and ABC.

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