Observing Brayden Burries, Labaron Philon, and Jayden Bradley in the Arizona-Alabama Game

December 14th, 2025

Yesterday, I took the time to watch Brayden Burries, Koa Peat, and Arizona take on Labaron Philon and Alabama in an early season college basketball game. After an entertaining first half, Brayden Burries dominated with his tremendous shooting and scoring display to lead Arizona to a dominant road win in the C.M. Newton Classic. Here are my thoughts on how Burries, Philon, and other various prospects fared in this game.

Arizona’s freshman guard, Brayden Burries scored 28 points, made 5 three-pointers, and hauled in 7 rebounds in his team’s 96-75 blowout win over Alabama yesterday. (Photo: Vasha Hunt/Associated Press, via WFMZ.com)

Brayden Burries had a tremendous showing in his team’s win over Alabama. He is an athletic, skilled combo guard that showed off excellent sharpshooting and scoring prowess, and he would leverage his superb three-point shooting by being able to drive quickly to the rim to score the basketball.

Plus, he also did a good job as a passer and ball-handler, and he excelled at making passes off the dribble as well as finding teammates on the move. Also, he did a very good job of rebounding the basketball. He was also active defensively, but sometimes he would struggle to defend opponents off the dribble, which would lead him to pick up fouls.

In summary, Burries played very well to help Arizona get the victory, and he is a tremendously gifted offensive player that could be a very good pick for an NBA team to select in the lottery of the 2026 draft, and Burries could end up being a superstar in the NBA.

Labaron Philon had a solid showing in his team’s tough loss to Arizona. He had an excellent first half, but had a sluggish second half as his team lost momentum and eventually, the game.

Philon did a good job of scoring off the dribble as well as on three-pointers to showcase his versatile scoring skills. He is a quick, shifty guard that has deft footwork, good scoring touch, and can score in traffic. He also can make threes smoothly both off the catch and dribble.

He also showcased solid playmaking skills. Philon is a speedy playmaker that showed a knack for making drive and kick passes to rack up assists, and he can sharply find teammates on the move. However, sometimes he would throw careless passes that would get intercepted, and when pressured, he would occasionally commit ball-handling turnovers.

Also, Philon did a terrific job of rebounding the basketball. He also managed to block a shot defensively. In summary, Philon played well in his team’s loss to Arizona. He had a terrific first half, but cooled down in the second half. Still, he had a solid game overall, and he is a dynamic offensive player whose strong offensive skills should enable him to be a first round pick in the 2026 draft.

Jaden Bradley played very well in his team’s win over Alabama. He is an athletic, skilled point guard that did a great job of making timely plays on both ends of the floor to help his team get the victory.

He did a good job of shooting and scoring the basketball. He showed a knack for making tough shots off the dribble, as he especially excelled at making mid-range jumpers, and he also made a pull-up three smoothly. Bradley also did a good job of passing the basketball, as he was able to make an array of passes to rack up assists.

Plus, he also rebounded and defended well. Bradley would poke balls away to get plenty of steals. Sometimes though, he would be too aggressive, which would lead him to commit reach-in fouls.

Overall, Jaden Bradley had a strong showing to lead Arizona to a road win over Alabama. He is a very skilled playmaker whose all-around skills could enable him to be a first round pick in the 2026 draft.

Ivan Kharchenkov also played well in his team’s win over Alabama. He is an athletic, energetic swingman that showed a knack for scoring quickly off the dribble, and he also used a nifty spin move to make a turnaround mid-range jumper. He showed good scoring touch, and he also is a tenacious defender that can guard opposing ball handlers, and would frequently jump passes to get steals.

Plus, he also is an unselfish player that will move the ball to pick up assists. Overall, Kharchenkov did a very good job of making plays on both ends of the floor. He’ll need to improve his outside shot, but his ability to score and defend could enable him to be a solid role player in the NBA.

Aiden Sherrell showed off a variety of skills in his team’s loss to Arizona. He was able to make an open three-pointer to showcase his range early on. He also caught a lob off of a roll to score on an alley-oop dunk. He also threw down a dunk later on. He was streaky with his outside shot, but he showed tantalizing scoring potential as a shooter and scorer on offense.

He also did a good job of passing the basketball, and he would make touch passes to find the open man. He also was active on the glass to help his team get some boards. He also defended well. He would often rotate to block shots to help his team protect the paint.

Overall, Sherrell is an athletic, skilled big man that excelled at making plays on both ends of the floor, and he could be a solid pick for an NBA team in the second round range of the 2026 draft.

Taylor Bol Bowen was able to make a variety of plays to help his team in their loss to Arizona. He showed a knack for making open, spot-up threes, and he also was able to draw free throws when getting the ball around the basket another time. He didn’t take enough shots, however. He also struggled to handle the ball when pressured, which led him to commit a handful of ball-handling turnovers.

He was able to chip in to get a few rebounds. He also defended well. Bol Bowen would often rotate to block shots, sometimes to teammates, to help his team protect the paint. Overall, Bol Bowen is an athletic, skilled forward that excelled at making plays on both ends of the floor, and he could end up being a versatile role player in the NBA.

Motiejus Krivas had a fairly solid showing in his team’s win over Alabama. Krivas is a high-motor big man that would tend to score on hustle plays, and he also was able to make a three-pointer as well as score on a dunk. He also passed the ball well, as he would make timely passes to find open teammates on the move to set up scores for them.

He also did a great job of rebounding the basketball. Plus, he also defended well. He would rotate to block shots and get his hands on balls to get deflections. Sometimes though, he wouldn’t always rotate in time or get back to his man, which would lead him to allow scores. He also would sometimes get his shots blocked and not always finish plays on offense, which would hurt his shooting percentages.

Overall, Krivas had a decent showing in his team’s win over Alabama. He is a strong, mobile center that could project to be a solid rotational big man at the NBA level, and he could be a solid second round pick for an NBA team in the 2026 draft.

Anthony Dell’Orso had some good moments in his team’s win over Alabama. He was able to make timely plays in the second half, as he excelled at scoring off the dribble and off of cuts, and he has a crafty pump fake that he can use to score the basketball. While he was streaky with his outside shot, he was able to make a couple of threes. He also is an unselfish player that can make drive and kick passes. Overall, he is an agile, skilled swingman whose offensive skills could enable him to make it to the NBA someday.

Tobe Awaka also had some good moments in his team’s win over Alabama. He is a strong, undersized big man that did an excellent job of rebounding the basketball. He also would make solid touch passes to set up scores for his teammates. He was inconsistent as a scorer in the post, as his strength could enable him to get deep position to score, but would also struggle against length and athleticism.

Still, he was able to run the floor and catch a lob to score on a high-flying alley-oop dunk once. Overall, Awaka had his ups and downs in this game, but he is a blue-collar forward that could be a dynamic offensive player if he adds an outside shot to his arsenal, and his motor, production, and intangibles could enable him to make it to the NBA someday.

Jalil Bethea is an athletic combo guard that was able to make a smooth, pull-up three to showcase his shooting skills, and he also can handle the basketball. He is a talented guard that played very well in limited minutes and should get more playing time moving forward. He’ll need to show that he can reliably play the point, but his jump shot, athleticism, and potential could enable him to project to be a solid rotational guard at the NBA level.

Latrell Wrightsell is a quick, fleet-footed combo guard that did a good job of shooting and scoring the basketball in his team’s loss to Arizona. He showed a knack for making spot-up threes, as well as on tough drives to the hoop, and he also showed he can pass and get steals when he is on the floor. Overall, he played very well, and he could end being a solid rotational guard at the NBA level.

Koa Peat had his ups and downs in his team’s win over Alabama. He wasn’t very effective in the first half, as he ran into early foul trouble. On offense, he was able to make a pull-up, mid-range jumper, and he also managed to caught a lob off of a cut to score on an alley-oop dunk. However, he struggled to consistently score in the post, and Peat will need to improve his jump shot, especially from the outside to be a more dynamic scorer on offense.

Pray showed a solid ability to pass the basketball, and he has the court vision to find teammates on the move to set up scores for them. However, sometimes he would struggle to handle the basketball, and he lost a ball on a spin move from the post once to commit a turnover.

Surprisingly, he did not grab many rebounds in this game. While he was active defensively, Peat struggled to make a consistent impact due to being out of position and foul prone on that side of the ball.

Overall, Koa Peat did not play very well in his team’s win over Alabama. Visually, he seems to be a similar player to Toronto Raptors’ forward, Collin Murray-Boyles. Peat will need to improve his outside shot, but his motor, production, intangibles, and upside could enable him to be a first round pick in the 2026 draft.

All in all, those are my thoughts on how Burries and other various prospects fared in this game. Thanks for reading.