LAS VEGAS — The Philadelphia 76ers took a tough 96-94 loss to the Charlotte Hornets in summer league on Saturday, but they were able to see some good play out of two-way forward Dominick Barlow.
Barlow had 19 points, nine rebounds, and three steals and he made a lot of big plays using his athleticism and length to his advantage. He had five offensive rebounds and was able to give the Sixers a real presence in the paint.
After the loss, his teammates gave a lot of praise to Barlow and highlighted the good things he brings to the table.
“Just his energy,” Judah Mintz said of Barlow. “His energy, how vocal he is. You could tell he’s been around a little bit, and you know, he’s really helped us, especially on the boards. He gets a lot of offensive boards. He crashes, he talks. So he’s just been good. He’s been good for everybody.”
Another noticeable thing Barlow did on Saturday was be vocal. He and fellow big man Adem Bona were handling the defensive assignments and making sure everybody was in the right spots. Barlow led the charge on that and the Sixers have to like what they saw from the young big man.
“I mean, it’s so important, and, like, you can go further than defense,” summer league coach TJ DiLeo said of both Barlow and Bona. “I need to be vocal leaders too. Like, everyone’s got different personalities, and those guys are pretty outgoing guys, so I need them to be vocal and take everybody with them. They’ve been here. They’ve been in the NBA.”
The Sixers need active rebounders and players who can help on the frontline. Especially, after losing Guerschon Yabusele in free agency. One has to wonder if Barlow has done enough to eventually earn a look from this Sixers team.