Potential Bucks Lottery Pick Shines in Alabama's March Madness Opener

The Milwaukee Bucks are on pace for the 10th pick in the 2026 NBA Draft.

To be more specific, the Bucks' pick odds are 10th-best, with a 3-4% chance of landing one of the top four picks, a 66% chance at landing the 10th pick, a 19% chance at landing the 11th pick, and just over a 1% chance of slipping to 12th, with a microscopic chance of falling to 13th or 14th.

That's a 14% chance at the Top-4 and a 86% chance at 10-14 for those keeping track at home.

If the team doesn't land in the Top-4, Milwaukee could go in many directions, like a bet on an underrated guard with high-potential, or a proven two-way downhill scoring wing.

If the team holds onto its blue-chip pick, the goal is to come with a blue-chip talent; a player impressive enough to keep Giannis at bay in Green Bay and promising enough to building around for the foreseeable future.

This player should ideally complement Giannis today and be the best player available for tomorrow, a hard mix to find when usually those are only true potential star players.

One prospect the Bucks could consider in the likeliest outcome of falling to 10 or even the 11-14 range is Alabama Guard, Labaron Philon, a player who may bring a familiar playstyle to the table.

As I was saying. Philon has taken over this game. https://t.co/vrpfnSLoul pic.twitter.com/6CniDzJPkM
— Ricky O'Donnell (@SBN_Ricky) March 20, 2026

Labaron Philon could assist Giannis today and help the Bucks build a future tomorrow

Philon celebrates — Mar 20, 2026; Tampa, FL, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide guard Labaron Philon (0) reacts after a play in the first half against the Hofstra Pride during a first round game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Benchmark International Arena. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images | Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

Philon's decelerating body control footwork is his super power, a special skill that he combines with his developing off-the-dribble shotmaking, downhill finesse finishing, point guard instincts and delightlfully masterful handle to create a lethal multi-level self-creating scoring creator who can consistently create good looks for himself and others.

In a 20pt round one March Madness win over Hofstra, Philon tallied 29 points, 8 rebounds, 7 assists 3 assists, while shooting 10-18 FG , 3-7 from 3P, 6-7 from FT in 36 minutes.

Bama guard LaBaron Philon was HOOPING against Hofstra 🔥

29 PTS | 8 REB | 7 AST pic.twitter.com/SIGMTdkgjW
— B/R Hoops (@brhoops) March 20, 2026

Philon was showing off his full skill-set, the now reliable pull-up deep jump shooting, the floaters and rim finishes, the dumpoff dimes.

This may come to a surprise to basketball fans seeing Philon play for the first time since last season, but Labaron has shown his development on the ball as a scorer all year, rising to a staggering 1.45 PPP on ISO scoring, rating in the 99th percentile of all players:

Labaron Philon’s growth as a perimeter creator this season has been unprecedented.

99th percentile (!) in isolation scoring (1.450 PPP), shooting 73.3% FG in isolation! Much improved YoY scoring propensities: FTr (0.29 —> 0.41), 3PA/100: (7.1 —> 10.1), rim FG%: (58.1% —> 67.6%). pic.twitter.com/d3UIBYNwIw
— Mohamed (@mcfNBA) March 1, 2026

What's ironic is the attributes that first stood out about his game last year with Alabama were more along the lines of hustle winning plays – the deflected dribbles, the anticipated passes, the forced steals, the point of attack screen navigating strength switching onto anyone, the loose balls, the four point swings that always seemed to end with announcers saying, 'there goes Philon again'.

Now, he's an ISO pull-up assassin, a reliable shot-creator in pick-and-roll, a team-first connector off the ball, a floor-stretching shooter on and off the ball from three, and that's before underlining his unique blend of elite deceleration body control, masterful handle ball control, point guard playmaking, primary option scoring, soft touch finishing at the rim, the floater/short range, the deep midrange, and from beyond the arc – the true four levels of basketball shotmaking depth.

Philon is clutch, confident, and cold-blooded. Here's his quote on the play call after hitting the game-winning shot in a takeover win for Alabama against Tennessee, via Blake Byler.

When we came out the timeout, [Oats] pulled me to the side, he told me we wanted to get Estrella in a matchup.

I seen once I came off the ball screen that he was willing to switch.

We got what we wanted and I tried to take my time, not just rush into any shot.

Once I got in the lane he kind of stopped me, he stopped me a little bit.

I just spun back, and I saw a lot of separation in that mid-range area, and wanted to knock down the shot.
Labaron Philon

Philon will bust out the snake hostage dribble in pick-and-roll, weaving through defenders like flashes of NBA MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander some possessions, finding incredible ways to get to his spots and twist his body in ways only he can; on the other end, he'll show toughness, tenacity, and defensive instincts as a big guard, at times looking like former Bucks ace defender Jrue Holiday between his strong versatile defense, his elite ISO and overall versatile scoring efficiency, and overall two-way feel.

Paired with Giannis Antetokoumnpo, Philon can wear any hat needed, from being a point guard to orchestrate the offense, an off-guard to spread the floor off ball, a 2nd option scorer to take turns initiating, and a veratile creator who can do it all on ball on his own, off ball attacking closeouts, and can theoretically create a lethal 2-man game any time The Greek Freak is willing to do his team a favor and set a screen in what is an unstoppable action anytime he's the man rolling in pick-and-roll.

For the Bucks future, Philon offers a steady hand to assist Giannis for today as an exciting face of the franchise to anchor both sides of the ball as a natural leader on and off the court for tomorrow.

A guard so talented he could make an All-Star or All-D team one day in the right situation; a winning player who does the little things like make hustle plays and the exciting star things like highlight shots; an effective flare point guard with herky jerky handles, mean start stop body control, nice finishing skills at the rim, finesse floater in the midrange, a now proven 3pt shot on and off the ball, with strong, versatile defensive instincts is a talent worth betting on, especially deep in the lottery.