The Golden State Warriors' problems are mounting. Although Stephen Curry's return appears to be on the horizon, a season-ending ACL injury that Jimmy Butler suffered in January and an apparently devastating leg injury that Moses Moody suffered on Mar. 23 have depleted their rotation tremendously.
They're poised to remain in the 10th seed in the Western Conference for the remainder of the regular season. This would make their climb out of the Play-In Tournament and into a first-round series tremendously steep. It's not yet time to give up on this season, but fans hoping for genuine championship contention will probably need to wait for 2026-27.
Thankfully, Golden State is still in possession of its first-round selection in the 2026 NBA Draft. If they ultimately do not rise out of the play-in, that pick would be a lottery selection. They would have a genuine chance to select in or near the top 10 for the first time since they drafted Jonathan Kuminga in 2021.
Needless to say, this would be an opportunity they could not afford to mess up. With how deep this upcoming draft class is, however, they will have plenty of paths to get their pick right.
In FanSided's most recent 2026 NBA Mock Draft, drawn up by Christopher Kline, the Warriors get their ideal sidekick for Curry in Labaron Philon Jr. out of Alabama.
He could be a strong consolation prize for a tremendously disappointing season.
Labaron Philon Jr. could be the exact injection of energy the Warriors' rotation needs
Since their acquisition of Butler, the Warriors have largely given him the keys to the bench unit when Curry is off the court. But Butler, at this point in his career, is much more suited for a complementary ball-handling role. So, for that matter, is Brandin Podziemski.
According to Kline, Philon could be the perfect prospect to bridge that gap.
"Golden State could really use another ball-handler behind Stephen Curry. The Dubs are generally looking for prospects who can thread the needle between future value and immediate impact; Philon might become their greatest success story on that front."- Christopher Kline
Philon is rounding off an excellent season at Alabama, having averaged 21.6 points, 3.4 rebounds, and five assists while knocking down 39.7% of his attempts from 3-point range through 32 games. His draft stock may have taken a slight hit after a relative no-show in Alabama's offensive explosion against Texas Tech in the Round of 32, but Philon has the consistency and the season-long production to overcome that.
As a capable combo guard, he could provide the Warriors with ample flexibility in their backcourt. At 6'4" and 177 lbs, Philon has the type of build and three-level scoring ability that should make Golden State salivate.
Of course, even having the opportunity to select Philon, who could very well be a top-10 selection in this draft, would mean a disappointing end to the season. But the Warriors desperately need an injection of young talent, and Philon could represent that in abundance.