The Philadelphia 76ers signed Paul George to be a third star alongside Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey. Unfortunately, the early stages of their partnership have been defined by injuries and inconsistency, with George missing 41 games in 2024-25 and 14 early in 2025-26.
Thankfully, Dominick Barlow has bought George time by emerging as a player capable of checking several boxes Philadelphia will ultimately need its All-Star to be able to.
George is a nine-time All-Star, six-time All-NBA honoree, and four-time All-Defense selectee. He's earned his accolades by excelling as a skilled scorer, elite defender, and productive rebounder and playmaker who offers his teams a bit of everything.
Barlow isn't quite playing at the level George is capable of reaching, but he's offering the versatility at forward the 76ers need.
Barlow has been a revelation early in the 2025-26 season. Through 10 appearances, he's averaging 7.9 points, 5.5 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 1.2 blocks, and 0.6 steals in 26.8 minutes per game, shooting 53.3 percent from the field and 76.9 percent at the free throw line.
Beyond his season averages, Barlow has provided the 76ers with the type of two-way versatility that they need George to rediscover to save their season.
Dominick Barlow buying Paul George time to get back on track, avoid burden that could aggravate injury
Barlow began the 2025-26 season with 13 points, eight rebounds, five assists, and a block in a win over the Orlando Magic. He was injured shortly thereafter and missed nearly three weeks of play, but he's back in the rotation and building upon that success.
That's been on full display over the past three games, when Barlow has returned to the starting lineup and provided significant value at forward.
Barlow posted 11 points, six rebounds, two assists, and a block in a rematch with the Magic. He then posted 10 points, 10 rebounds, four assists, and a block in a win over the Brooklyn Nets that helped the 76ers bounce back from consecutive losses.
The next time out, Barlow played 45 minutes during a double-overtime instant classic against the Atlanta Hawks, tallying 10 points, six rebounds, three assists, three steals, and two blocks.
In each of those showings, Barlow proved that George isn't the only forward on the roster capable of providing consistent and well-rounded value. Though he's not the scorer that George has proven to be, Barlow is stuffing the stat sheet and offering real-time value in multiple phases of the game.
In the process, he's shielded George from premature criticism and allowed the veteran to play limited minutes as he works his way back to 100 percent.
With Barlow excelling in his role, George can ease into the demanding nature of his own. There are already promising signs, as he tallied 14 points on 6-of-10 shooting in 21 minutes against Brooklyn, and had seven rebounds, four assists, and five steals in 28 minutes against the Hawks.
With Barlow stepping up to ensure the burden at forward doesn't fall disproportionately onto a recovering George, the 76ers can avoid an early disaster and help their third star rediscover his form at a steady pace.