Labaron Philon Jr. saw his dreams come true when the Sixers selected him 22nd overall in the 2026 NBA draft on Tuesday night. But he wasn’t prepared for what came next.Tyrese Maxey and VJ Edgecombe surprised Philon with a FaceTime call shortly after he met NBA commissioner Adam Silver on stage. Amid the excitement, Philon delivered a statement that sent chills down the spines of Sixers fans: “We going to get everybody, we walking them down.”welcoming committee 🤝 pic.twitter.com/5Rro3Nrney— Philadelphia 76ers (@sixers) June 24, 2026The only question is, what does Philadelphia need to do this offseason to realize Philon’s ambition? New team president Mike Gansey may have to solve that by addressing the following three questions heading into free agency.What will Philon’s role be in year one?It’s difficult to project Philon’s role as a rookie before the Sixers retool their roster over the coming months. But one thing is absolute: Philon is too talented not to see the court.Philon will fill many gaps that Philadelphia’s backcourt had this past year. They lacked second-unit shot creation aside from Quentin Grimes, who's set to become an unrestricted free agent in a few days. The New York Knicks outscored the Sixers’ bench by 33 in the conference semifinals, which was a key swing factor in their elimination.Philon can create advantages for himself and others while being effective without the ball. He mad 40% of his catch-and-shoot 3-pointers this season at Alabama. The sticking point will likely be defense. Philon could initially struggle due to his 176-pound frame. But if the effort and offensive impact are there, he should become a fixture in the rotation.“That competitive juice is everything to me,” Philon told reporters in his introductory press conference on Thursday morning. “I feel like you have to compete hard to survive in this league. So bringing that to the table day one, I feel like it’s special just for a rookie to be able to compete with the top guys and the top dogs. “So from day one, being ready to work and being ready to get on the court.”Philon having a sizable role as a rookie wouldn’t be farfetched. Many suspected that VJ Edgecombe would come off the bench in his rookie campaign, but he started all 75 games and was the Sixers’ fourth-leading scorer with 16 points per game. Edgecombe received such an opportunity because he was obsessed with improving. Philon seemingly shares similar traits.I asked Nick Nurse was his non-negotiables were as it pertains to rookies breaking into the rotation and playing a major role. He gave a great answer: pic.twitter.com/hiS6ph3J84— Jason Dumas (@JDumasReports) June 24, 2026What does this mean for Quentin Grimes?Philon’s arrival could also impact one of Philadelphia’s four pending free agents in Grimes.The 26-year-old guard is set to enter unrestricted free agency after accepting his $8.7 million qualifying offer for this past season. He aimed to build his market value throughout the year, but his stock may have plummeted instead. Grimes struggled with consistency and flamed out when it mattered most, averaging 6.7 points in the playoffs.Time will tell how teams across the NBA value Grimes, but it’s difficult to envision him receiving a deal that pays him above the $15.0 million non-taxpayer mid-level exception.. If teams with financial wiggle room like the Chicago Bulls or Brooklyn Nets are looking to fill their rosters, perhaps Grimes will land a contract of his liking. But if Colin Gillespie has already agreed to a new contract with the Phoenix Suns that pays him $10.7 million next year, that seemingly does not bode well for Grimes' chances of cashing in..That may play into the Sixers’ hands if they’re interested in retaining him, which Gansey said they were after the draft on Tuesday night. They have Grimes’ full Bird rights, so they can re-sign him to anything up to a max contract even though they're already over the cap.If the Sixers use an asset like the non-taxpayer mid-level exception to bolster their frontcourt depth (hold that thought), retaining Grimes on a team-friendly contract doesn’t sound like the worst idea. How many guards of Grimes’ caliber will be attainable at a low price?Or, Philadelphia found a Grimes replacement in Philon and both parties are ready to move on. We’ll see.How will the Sixers address the need for frontcourt depth?Although Philon is an awesome investment in the Sixers’ guard room, they still have major holes in the frontcourt.Philadelphia has only one center under guaranteed contract aside from Joel Embiid. That’s Johni Broome. Adem Bona’s $2.3 million salary for next season has yet to be guaranteed, while Andre Drummond will be an unrestricted free agent. Regardless, the Sixers need to upgrade at backup center this offseason.Some fans are upset that Philadelphia passed on Chris Cenac Jr. in favor of Philon as well as not trading into the second round to snatch a big. The Sixers’ next opportunity to address their center needs is free agency, with bigs like Robert Williams III, Nick Richards, and Jock Landale seeming like realistic targets. Some are more worthy of a portion of the $15 million non-taxpayer MLE, while others may be attainable with the $5.5 million bi-annual exception, which the Sixers could have access to this year.Power forward is the Sixers’ biggest need. Kelly Oubre Jr. and Dominick Barlow alternated as the starting 4, but their futures in Philadelphia are not yet set in stone. Barlow holds a $3.4 million team option, while Oubre will be an unrestricted free agent.Barlow surfaced as a rotation-worthy forward, averaging career highs across the board, which earned him his current contract in the first place. But the 23-year-old was not reliable enough to be a full-time starter, and Oubre didn’t supply the size needed at the position.The Sixers can solve that, as this year’s free agency class is littered with options at the 4. John Collins, Rui Hachimura (more of a pipe dream), and Dean Wade are players who come to mind. While he holds a $2.8 million player option, Sandro Mamukelashvili is arguably the best and most realistic target available as a toolsy and athletic player who would seamlessly fit.SIXERS FREE AGENT TARGET — Sandro Mamukelashvili📝 11.2 PTS📝 4.9 REB📝 52.3% FG📝 38.9% 3PTMamu played a key role off the bench this season in Toronto, and would be an awesome fit on the Sixers should he (likely) decline his player option. 👍 pic.twitter.com/wrwjuK0cci— Sleeper76ers (@sleeper76ers) June 10, 2026Philon is now a Sixer. But Philadelphia still has work to do before it can “walk down” the rest of the NBA.The Sixers are currently allowed to negotiate with their pending free agents. Otherwise, free agency officially kicks off at 6 p.m. ET on June 30.Sign up for our free newsletter and follow us on X and Bluesky for the latest news.Add us as a preferred source on GoogleFollow