"They can maximize their financial abilities in the college game": Analyst drops his take on Alabama standout Labaron Philon's NBA draft stance

Alabama star Labaron Philon was one of the breakout stars of the just-concluded college basketball season. Philon was a key cog in coach Nate Oats' Crimson Tide team and on Apr. 14, he declared for the 2025 NBA Draft.

During Wednesday's segment of the "Next Round" podcast, analyst Richard Hendrix dropped his stance on what Philon should do.

"Absolutely," Hendrix said. "Or open up the portal and go anywhere. For Alabama fans you'd like to see a guard with experience come back into the roster. The game has changed tremendously now when you have an opportunity to be in the transfer portal and ask for more money from these particular schools and to get into the transfer market." [0:25]

"That shows you that the transfer portal market does not have the same value as the professional basketball market. A lot of these players are opting to remain in the collegiate ranks just because they know they can maximize their financial abilities in the college game. So, I think it's smart for Labaron Philon to keep his options open to consider to come back to Alabama."

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Labaron Philon details NBA Draft decision

Should he opt to withdraw his name from draft consideration, Labaron Philon has until May 28 to make that decision. During Tuesday's segment of the "Schuz Show," the Alabama Crimson Tide star reiterated his decision to declare for the NBA Draft while leaving room for the possibility that he could return to college basketball based on the feedback he gets from evaluators.

“I would say 100 percent draft, but you know, things can change,” Labaron Philon said. “You never know. But I would say I love ‘Bama. The whole program, the school, the state. It was all love when I was playing there. I never received any hatred or nothing like that. Walking around school and just being a regular kid again was mostly the most fun part for me. I’ll never take that for granted.

"But I’m all in on the draft right now because I feel like I want to be a pro. You never know what can happen. We’ll just have to wait and see.”

Philon averaged 10.6 points on 45.2% shooting from the floor and 31.5% shooting from beyond the arc, 3.3 rebounds and 3.8 assists for the Crimson Tide last season.

ESPN Draft expert Jonathan Givony projected Labaron Philon as a second-round pick during the 2025 NBA Draft.