Labaron Philon’s decision to delay his professional career and return to Alabama will likely lead to a quiet night for the Crimson Tide during Wednesday’s NBA Draft. While Alabama will no longer have a first-round selection, a trio of players from last year’s team have a chance of hearing their names called on Thursday night.
Most projections have Mark Sears, Grant Nelson and Clifford Omoruyi going undrafted. However, each member of the trio has been featured in at least one recent mock draft.
For the second straight year, the NBA Draft will take place over two nights. The first round will begin on Wednesday at 7 p.m. CT, while the second round will pick up on Thursday at 7 p.m. The two-round draft will be held inside Brooklyn’s Barclays Center and will consist of 59 total picks. It will be televised on ESPN and ABC.
Here’s a roundup of where Alabama’s draft hopefuls have landed in seven recent mock drafts.
Who we used: ESPN (Jonathan Givony and Jeremy Woo), FanSided (Christopher Kline), NBA Draft on SI (staff), The Athletic (Sam Vecenie), The Ringer (J. Kyle Mann), USA TODAY (Bryan Kalbrosky), Yahoo! Sports (Kevin O’Connor).
Mark Sears
Sears will go down as perhaps the best player in program history. He ends his three-year Alabama career with 2,841 career points, which ranks No. 19 in Division I. He set Alabama’s single-season record with 797 points while leading the Tide to its first Final Four during the 2023-24 campaign.
Despite putting in a solid final season, Sears was unable to fully capture the magic from his Final Four run the year before. He led the team, averaging 18.6 points and 5.1 assists but saw his 3-point percentage drop to 34.5 after shooting a blazing 43.6% the year before.
The biggest obstacle Sears will face at the next level is his size. He measured in at 5-foot-10¼ without shoes on during the NBA Draft combine. That figures to cause plenty of problems on the defensive side of the ball. Still, a team might be able to risk that due to his ability to score from anywhere on the court.
ESPN — Undrafted (No. 61 on big board)
FanSided — Undrafted (No. 68 on big board)
NBA Draft On SI — No. 55 overall, Los Angeles Lakers
The Athletic — Undrafted (No. 60 on big board)
The Ringer — Undrafted
USA Today — No. 45 overall, Chicago Bulls
Yahoo! Sports — Undrafted (No. 68 n big board)
Cliff Omoruyi
Omoruyi didn’t quite live up to the hype after joining Alabama from Rutgers as one of the most sought-after players in the transfer portal last season. Still, the 6-foot-11, 250-pound center served as a quality rim protector while averaging 7.9 points and 6.5 rebounds to go with 1.1 blocks.
Omoruyi is explosive down low and boasts a 7-foot-6 wingspan. However, his lack of shooting will limit him at the next level.
ESPN — Undrafted (No. 66 on big board)
FanSided — No. 55 overall, Los Angeles Lakers (No. 70 on big board)
NBA Draft On SI — No. 55 overall, Los Angeles Lakers
The Athletic — Undrafted
The Ringer — Undrafted
USA Today — Undrafted
Yahoo! Sports — Undrafted (No. 52 on big board)
Grant Nelson
Nelson returned for his final year of eligibility last season after playing a vital role in Alabama’s Final Four run in 2024. The 6-foot-11, 230-pound forward started 34 games over 37 appearances despite battling several knocks throughout the season. He averaged 11.5 points and 7.6 rebounds while shooting 52.2% from the floor and 25.8% from deep.
Nelson provides nice athleticism for his size and plays well above the rim in terms of blocks and rebounds. However, nagging injuries held him back from taking the next step in his game this past year. Ultimately, that will likely result in him going unselected in this week’s NBA Draft.
ESPN — Undrafted (No. 62 on big board)
FanSided — Undrafted (No. 96 on big board)
NBA Draft On SI — No. 55 overall, Los Angeles Lakers
The Athletic — Undrafted (No. 73 on big board)
The Ringer — Undrafted
USA Today — No. 59 overall, Phoenix Suns
Yahoo! Sports — Undrafted
