Former Kansas Jayhawks signee thriving early in college basketball career

In the era of the transfer portal, Kansas basketball fans see new faces stream in and out of Lawrence every season. However, a few players have transferred away from the program before even playing a game at the university, including current Alabama guard Labaron Philon.

The Link Academy graduate had been committed to Kansas for months but requested a release of his letter of intent during the offseason. He decided to head south to play for the Crimson Tide and has surprisingly become a staple in their lineup. It turns out he might have been a useful long-term addition to the Jayhawks.

Labaron Philon has been one of Alabama's best players this season

While the season is still young, Philon has proven that he is worthy of a sizeable role in Tuscaloosa. Through the first five games of his freshman year, he has averaged 12.8 points, 5.2 assists, and 4.2 rebounds for the No. 8 team in the country. Head coach Nate Oats has utilized him in the starting lineup four times and played him 20+ minutes every game.

Coming out of high school, the former Alabama Mr. Basketball recipient was a top-30 recruit with tons of potential. He is a 6-foot-4 facilitator who can score around the rim and create easy looks for his teammates. Not many people could have predicted Philon would be the third-leading scorer on one of the best teams in the country.

It goes without saying that Philon would not have received the same opportunity at KU. Bill Self rarely trusts freshmen at the beginning of the season unless they are a generational prospect like Andrew Wiggins or Josh Jackson. He might have very well been buried on the depth chart right now, so it's nice to see that he made the right decision for his career.

Even with Elmarko Jackson's season-ending injury and a redshirt used on Jamari McDowell, this squad does not lack guard depth by any means. Veterans Dajuan Harris, Zeke Mayo, Diggy Coit, and Shakeel Moore continue to hold it down in the backcourt. But if he continues on this path, Kansas fans might wonder if Philon could have been the point guard of the future alongside Darryn Peterson had he stayed with the Jayhawks.