In the weeks ramping up to his first NBA draft as the Sixers’ president of basketball operations, Mike Gansey pored over all the ways Round 1 might play out. Alabama guard Labaron Philon Jr. being available with the 22nd pick did not strike him as a probable scenario. “We liked our range ( of the draft) and we felt like someone was going to fall to us that we really liked,” Gansey said late Tuesday night from the Sixers’ training complex in Camden, New Jersey. “Maybe not Labaron because we had him a lot higher. But we knew going in, ‘We’re going to get a player that can maybe play for us right away.’ It’s going to take time for all rookies, but I think this is a really deep draft, at least in the top 20-ish range of guys. And Labaron was one of the best players in the country at the guard position.  “Little bit surprised he fell to us, but there’s so many good guards in this draft that all those guys who went in the teens, they might be top 10 in normal drafts. … He was someone we just couldn’t pass up.” Philon showed off an array of offensive skills as a sophomore, including shifty ball handling trickery and much-improved outside shooting. He racked up 22.0 points and 5.0 assists per game. The 20-year-old scored with excellent efficiency for a high-usage college guard, posting a 62.6 true shooting percentage (seventh in the SEC). His three-point mark rose from 31.5 percent the season prior to 39.9 percent.  Gansey described Philon as a “combination” of the best player left on the Sixers’ board and a strong fit. He was not dissuaded by Philon’s lack of size (6-foot-2.5 without shoes, 176 pounds) or the presence of the Sixers’ two cornerstone guards, Tyrese Maxey and VJ Edgecombe. “You need as (many) guards as you can that can create a shot,” Gansey said. “He was obviously one of the best in college. And I think Tyrese was No. 1 in minutes last year. VJ was up there as a rookie. … This also helps (head coach Nick Nurse). He doesn’t have to play those guys (as much). We need depth at that guard position and I think he can come in, play some minutes and take a load off those two.  “And I think he can play with Tyrese a little bit. He’s on the slighter side. … But if you look at his stuff, especially his freshman year at Alabama, he really guarded. I think this year he had to carry a huge offensive load, so I think he took a little bit of a step back (defensively). But I know it’s in him. He’s got good hands, he’s tough, he’ll get into people, he’s competitive. And you just can’t have enough guards. Being in Cleveland, we needed guards because in the playoffs, it’s half court and you’ve got to go get a bucket. I think Labaron can go get one anytime he wants.” Philon likes the sound of the Sixers’ guard trio.  “Just making the game easier on them,” he said via Zoom from the draft in Brooklyn. “Being able to take the pressure off Tyrese, being able to take the pressure off VJ. And just not leaving those guys alone, being there with them on this journey.” As Gansey watched Philon at Alabama, he saw a player with plenty of grit and self-belief on top of all the basketball tools.  He thinks those qualities will matter in the NBA.  “I just love his competitiveness,” Gansey said. “Especially in Philly, you want guys that want to compete and guys that aren’t afraid. He’s going to be with Maxey and VJ and he can learn from those guys. … He’s a hooper. He just finds a way. I remember I saw him this year at Tennessee. He didn’t start that game — I think he missed the game before — and I think he scored their last, like, 20 points of the game and helped them win.   “It was like, ‘Woah, this dude is not afraid.’ He was just, ‘Give me the ball, get out of the way, and I’m going to win this game.’ And that just showed me some toughness. … He fights through stuff. He was injured. He was banged up a lot this year and played through it. But I just think his mentality fits the way I want guys and fits with Coach Nurse. Nick wants guys that are going to fly up and down and play the right way — and play with some edge and toughness — and I think he fits that.” Gansey’s memory was a tad flattering to Philon, but he indeed delivered clutch heroics in Alabama’s Feb. 28 win over Tennessee and sunk a late go-ahead jumper. Nurse was asked whether three-guard lineups will be viable off the bat for the Sixers.  “I think it’s probably a bit early to answer that,” he said. “(Philon is) obviously someone we feel can play right away. I think he’s talented enough to do that. I certainly see him as playing both of those (guard) positions and those three guys kind of sharing those positions.” For Philon, the aim is to keep growing his game alongside Maxey and Edgecombe. He’ll be free to bounce questions off Maxey, who slid to the 21st pick in the 2020 draft and developed into an All-NBA player.   “I would say still being sharp, still having that same level of ball handling, that creativity,” Philon said. “And being able to put some more weight on and get stronger. Being able to guard one through three, one through four. Really just sharpening up that creative mindset, that creative tool that you always have. They call it a bag nowadays, but I would just say creativity.  “Just sharpening all my skills and staying level-headed. Get in the gym, stay ready to work and be ready to learn from a lot of great guys.” ...read more read less