The Philadelphia 76ers were supposed to have a hole at power forward this season. In the season opener they instead had a breakout performance from Dominick Barlow, a free agent signing that may be changing everything for the franchise this season.
For years, the Philadelphia 76ers have struggled with two things: health, and who to put next to Joel Embiid in the frontcourt. They have cycled through the terrible fit of Al Horford, a financial overcommitment to Tobias Harris, and the uncertainty of what position Ben Simmons actually plays.
Last season, the 76ers seemed to have found something in French forward Guerschon Yabusele, but injuries zapped the team of any hopes of winning games and they pivoted into tanking to keep their draft pick. That paid off, as No. 3 pick VJ Edgecombe already looks like a future star, but Yabusele walked in free agency to sign with the rival New York Knicks.
The 76ers didn't exactly replace him this summer, either. On the main roster the only natural power forward was Trendon Watford, a backup at his best. The idea was that Paul George would shift down and primarily play power forward. To start the season, however, both George and Watford were sidelined by injury.
Enter Dominick Barlow, signed to a two-way contract after spending last season with the Atlanta Hawks. The New Jersey native made his way to the NBA by way of Overtime Elite and started with the San Antonio Spurs. Through three years of his career, Barlow had shown real flashes but overall looked like the kind of player who could dominate in the G League but wasn't going to be an impact NBA player.
The rest of the league apparently agreed, as the 76ers scooped him up on a two-way contract for this season, his final year of eligibility. And if opening night was any indication, he will not be on that two-way deal for long.
Dominick Barlow had an excellent debut
With George and Watford out for the game, the 76ers didn't merely insert Barlow into the rotation, but they started him at power forward. He played 34 minutes in a close battle with the Boston Celtics, one that Philadelphia ultimately won by a single point. The headline stories were the rookie Edgecombe dropping 34 points and Tyrese Maxey scoring 40.
Yet somewhere one of the headlines needed to reflect the impact that Barlow had. He was moving his feet defensively, he was tracking down rebounds, and he was dishing out passes to the tune of five assists, one off of Maxey's team-high six. He shot an efficient 4-for-6 from 2-point range and overall had 13 points, eight rebounds and those five assists.
What's more, Barlow's performance looks even better when you dig into the lineup data. Joel Embiid suited up and played, but he clearly wasn't at his normal levels of impact; the 76ers certainly hope that's due to rust and not a new normal for the onetime MVP. He shot 1-for-9 and was -16 on the night.
Barlow and Embiid started together and played 15 minutes together. In those minutes the 76ers were blasted off the court by 17 points. Yet when Barlow played with Adem Bona or Andre Drummond, not exactly a pair of world-beaters at center, the 76ers were +7 in those 10 minutes. And in the nine minutes where Barlow shifted to the 5, the 76ers were even better with a blistering offense; Barlow spent most of those minutes with fellow two-way player Jabari Walker at power forward.
It's unlikely that Dominick Barlow is suddenly going to become an All-Star player for the 76ers, but if they have a viable rotation player at power forward it is going to unlock balanced lineups for this group. If Embiid isn't healthy, the ceiling of this group is limited, but as Edgecombe, Maxey and Jared McCain ascend and take over the future of the team, Barlow could be a piece that sticks around.
Daryl Morey took a shot on a player who was practically free, and he responded in a big way in his first game. It was a home run signing and it has the potential to change the 76ers' fate this year.