CAMDEN, N.J. — The Philadelphia 76ers made an underrated move in free agency by bringing in Dominick Barlow on a two-way deal. A 4-year big man in the league after playing with Overtime Elite, Barlow has done a lot of good things for Philadelphia on both ends of the floor.
In 14 games with 11 starts, he’s averaging a career-high 7.9 points and 5.6 rebounds–2.1 on the offensive glass and 1.1 blocks per game. He’s also got a 7.7% offensive rebounding percentage off a Philadelphia missed free-throw along with a 2.0% block percentage per Cleaning the Glass.
He has shown off a lot of versatility on the defensive end as he has defended a number of different positions from big men down low to defending guards out on the perimeter. Barlow’s play has impressed Sixers star Paul George in his minutes running with him.
“It’s fun playing with Barlow,” George said on Wednesday. “Defensively, he’s special. It’s fun being on the floor with Barlow. He can do a lot of things, and it makes it easier for me because we can switch a ton. He rebounds, blocks shots. I’ve played with guys like him.”
A guy that came to mind for George was a former teammate of his with the Los Angeles Clippers as well as a former Sixers forward who played a big role for Philadelphia.
“Nico Batum was a ton of fun to play with, and it was similar with Nico,” George continued. “Nico can guard, he can pick up guys 94 feet, he can switch 1 through 5. There’s just no defensive liability, and that’s kind of how I feel about Barlow.”
Barlow is undoubtedly going to be converted to a standard deal at some point in the 2025-26 season if he continues his strong play. He has made life easy for guys like George, Tyrese Maxey, and Joel Embiid on the defensive end of the floor and he knows where to be on the offensive end with his off-ball movement. His strong play has been a big part of the team’s success.