A Look At The 76ers and Flyers First Round Draft Choices

by Marc Narducci | Jul 3, 2026

It was interesting in last week’s NBA and NHL drafts that the Flyers’ first-round pick was nearly five inches bigger than the Sixers’.

Size is such a staple in the NBA, but the Flyers selected Maksim Sokolovskii, a 6-foot-7.25, 238-pound defenseman who played with the London Knights of the Ontario Hockey League. Sokolovskii turns 18 in July.

Meanwhile, the Sixers’ first-round pick was 6-2.5 guard Labaron Philon Jr, selected No. 22 overall from the University of Alabama. He will turn 21 in November.

These are players who will be the future of both franchises, but they will have different roles, at least from the onset.

Philon is expected to be an immediate contributor. One can see him being potentially the first guard off the bench, or he could possibly join Tyrese Maxey and VJ Edgecomb in some three-guard lineup. Meanwhile, Sokolovskii isn’t expected to help the Flyers for several years. He has committed to the University of Maine for the 2027-2028 season.

Here is a closer look at both players

Labaron Philon Jr

Philon had two very productive seasons at Alabama competing in the ultra-competitive SEC. He can play on or off the ball, but he is projected more as a point guard.

As a freshman, he averaged 10.6 points in 24.7 minutes on a loaded Alabama team that reached the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament. He averaged 3.8 assists and 1.7 turnovers while shooting just .315 from three-point range. Alabama lost to Duke 85-65 in the regional final, but Philon had a team-high 16 points and shot 3-for-6 from three-point range. The rest of the team shot 5-for-26 from beyond the arc.

There was the thought that if Philon entered the draft after his freshman season that he could have been a first-round pick.

Alabama was not nearly as experienced this past season, but Philon was the driving force of a team that advanced to the Sweet 16 before losing to eventual national champion Michigan, 90-77, in the regional semifinal.

In that game, in which Alabama led, 49-47 at halftime, Philon was sensational.

He played 39 minutes and scored 35 points, shooting 10-of-21 from the field, including 6-of-14 from three-point range, while making all nine free throw attempts. Philon added seven rebounds, four assists and just one turnover.

For the season he averaged 22 points in 30.9 minutes per game. Philon also averaged 5.0 assists and 2.5 turnovers and shot .798 from the foul line and .399 from three-point range. For his effort Philon was named a first-team all-SEC selection and a third-team Associated Press All-American.

He is fearless going to the basket and vastly improved his three-point shooting.

The Sixers appeared to have gotten very good value by selecting him at No. 22.

Maksim Sokolovskii

Sokolovskii was best described by draft analysts as a project, somebody who is considered far away from contributing at the NHL level. The consensus appeared to be that he improved over the second half of the season.

He is a strong player and should provide a physical game, but the questions that draft analysts have is whether he will be able to have enough skill to be an NHL defenseman.

Born in Petropavlovsk, Kazakhstan, he is a left-handed shooting defenseman.

This past season with London in the OHL, he registered two goals and six assists in 44 regular season games. He also appeared in five playoff contests.

The Flyers like his physical size and athletic ability, but he simply will have to improve as a hockey player.

Sokolovskii presents a challenge to the Flyers player development staff. He is the type of player that if he does improve the way the Flyers anticipate, then it could be a home run.

There will be a lot of work to do before Sokolovskii approaches that level.

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Author: Marc Narducci

A Look At The 76ers and Flyers First Round Draft Choices

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