“It will be a great success story”: Nate Oats gets real on Labaron Philon’s NBA draft capability after Alabama star gets invited to combine

Alabama men's basketball star Labaron Philon declared for the 2025 NBA draft and his coach, Nate Oats, has expressed his confidence in the starting guard. Philon declared for the draft last month but left the door open for a possible return to Alabama. He has until May 28 to make the decision.

In the meantime, Oats believes that Philon would do well in the draft. In an interview with AL.com, which was posted on Alabama's Instagram page Monday, Oats discussed feedback on Philon's status as an NBA Draft prospect.

"Just kept finding his way on the floor. Just kept making us better, you know. And what I told him is he'd have a chance here and 'If we're better with you on the floor, we're going to put you on the floor.' And we were better with him on the floor most of the years," Oats said during an appearance at the Senior Bowl Charities Celebrity Golf Classic.

"So now, we're getting really good feedback from the NBA," Oats continued."He's got to go to the combine. He's got to test well. He's got to do well in the workouts. From what I'm hearing, I think he's going to get drafted. Shoot, it will be a great success story.

"He comes in, he's not on anybody's draft board, he plays well for us and ends up getting drafted after a year with us. That's the plan right now."

Philon made 37 appearances during his freshman season last year and started 29 games. He averaged 10.6 points, 3.3 rebounds and 3.8 assists while shooting 45.2% from the floor and 31.5% from beyond the arc. The 6-foot-4 guard also led the team with 1.4 steals per game.

Ranked No. 47 in this year’s draft by ESPN, Philon was invited to the NBA draft combine along with former teammates Mark Sears and Grant Nelson. The combine will be held on May 11-18 in Chicago.

Nate Oats specifies how Labaron Philon can up his game ahead of 2025 NBA draft

Alabama basketball star Labaron Philon is fully focused on going to the NBA. However, coach Nate Oats believes his star guard still has to improve on his shooting game going forward.

"He needs to turn himself into a little bit better shooter, but he's not a bad shooter," Oats said, via AL.com. "He can score it at a high level. And he's young. His shot is good. With the reps that he'll put in, he'll turn himself into a really good shooter. He's got all the other stuff (the NBA) is looking for." (Timestamp: 0:55)

Should he choose to go pro, Philon is expected to be drafted in the first round or early in the second round of the NBA draft.