Dominick Barlow made his first start for the Sixers in Wednesday night's opener at TD Garden. His energy and hustle not only helped fuel a dramatic 117-116 victory over the Boston Celtics, but indicated a role moving forward is far from unlikely.
Barlow, who Philadelphia signed to a two-way contract this summer, played 34 minutes, scoring 13 points, eight rebounds, and five assists. Of his eight rebounds, five of them were offensive, helping to secure extra possessions for the team.
His presence was felt immediately at both ends of the floor; he attacked loose balls, sprinted the floor in transition, and dove for rebounds in traffic, turning effort plays into extra shots for his perimeter players who were shooting the ball well.
Barlow's rebounding and finishing were on full display against the Celtics, with a pair of memorable plays on the first night of the Sixers' season.
The first was a sequence early in the first quarter, where Barlow came flying in to block a layup while trailing a Celtics fast break. He wasn't able to grab the board cleanly and got tied up with Celtics wing Sam Hauser. He won the jump ball tip, sprinted down the court, and laid the ball up through contact to finish a three-point opportunity.
He also had another play in the guts of the fourth quarter with the Sixers trailing. While guard Quentin Grimes was being trapped at half court, he found a streaking Grimes on the wing. Barlow took the pass with a head of steam and got to the rim and made a tough finish against Celtics' star Jaylen Brown.
He was asked after the game about his performance,
"I know how to play basketball, and I know what this team needs me to do. It's just my job to come out with energy and pick us up when we are down."
In his first start, Barlow proved he can inject energy and hustle into the lineup, giving Philadelphia a valuable boost when the starters are less than full strength. His tenacity on the glass and knack for doing the dirty work make him the kind of role player who can quietly tilt tight games toward the Sixers.
If he keeps bringing this level of effort, Barlow will make it hard to keep him out of the rotation.
