The Philadelphia 76ers have now lost four straight games, which brings them closer to the play-in tournament picture. Joel Embiid has been absent in all of those games, and given how abysmal ths team has been without the superstar big man, it is not a surprise that all of a sudden, they are struggling to rack up wins.
Having said that, another concerning pattern is the fact that Dominick Barlow, who has been otherwise impressive this season, seems to be having a more difficult time on the floor without his frontcourt partner in Embiid. While the sample size is obviously not ample enough to make a definitive indictment on his viability long-term, this cannot go on if he wants to stay longer in Philly.
This season, the 22-year-old big man is averaging 8.4 points and five rebounds per game in 24 minutes a night. Those numbers will not pop off the page especially because his role is to be a connector on offense and a stalwart on the defensive end. But beyond the numbers, his impact has noticeably gone down without Embiid.
Dominick Barlow has to find his groove for the 76ers even without Joel Embiid
Barlow has played with Embiid more often that not this season, but to count on that still being the case moving forward is quite the ballsy proposition. There are going to be long stretches where he will be taking on a more prominent role in the frontcourt, perhaps even as a lone big in certain parts of the game.
He is not really someone whom the 76ers should feel comfortable taking a lot of shots, but given his athleticism and mobility, he can be more assertive as a pick-and-roll partner or a cutter in the open lanes. He is a good individual rebounder as well, so he can punish teams that play small whenever he is trotted out as a nominal power forward.
There is really not a lot to complain about his defense, but if he can offer even more resistance at the rim, the 76ers can have more optionality at the big man position. Andre Drummond and Adem Bona typically struggle against quicker and more agile frontcourts while Barlow fares much better against those archetypes, which makes a natural counter for teams deploying those setups.
Dominick Barlow has quietly become a vital part of this 76ers team, which makes it all the more important that he can remain viable without Joel Embiid as the franchise builds for the future.