Camden, NJ — The Philadelphia 76ers held their pregame shootaround at their team practice facility on Saturday as they prepared to welcome the Charlotte Hornets. Coming off an exciting win over the Celtics in Boston, the team is continuing to learn from their successes and failures. That includes forward Dominick Barlow.
Barlow played somewhat of a heroic role in Wednesday night's affair, spot-starting for the injured Paul George. While he had been praised, particularly by head coach Nick Nurse throughout training camp and the preseason, expectations for Barlow were minimal, given his journeyman-like role in his early career and his two-way contract status.
Despite that lack of expectation, Barlow rose to the occasion, scoring 13 points while collecting eight rebounds—five offensive, and dishing out five assists. He was a spark plug, a source of energy the Sixers have not seen in some time, extending trips down the court while providing Philadelphia with something almost alien to them: second looks on offense.
Back at the Sixers' practice facility, media members awaited Barlow. The majority of the team was still out and about following shootaround, including star rookie VJ Edgecombe, and the recovering Paul George and Trendon Watford, but Barlow was nowhere to be found.
Even after each of his teammates left the court, the question remained: Where in the world is Dominick Barlow? The answer? Barlow was hard at work watching film after participating in shootaround. That type of hunger is precisely what has endeared Barlow to head coach Nick Nurse.
Following his film session, Barlow addressed the media, detailing what went right in his first start and how he plans to build on that performance.
Barlow's most significant takeaway from the game was team-centered, impressed with how the Sixers worked as a unit to climb out of the deficit they faced.
"We had a rough stretch in the third, but kind of just stayed grounded. We battled, took the game one position at a time, and were able to climb back into it."
Tyrese Maxey and VJ Edgecombe lead the way in terms of highlights and those credited for the team's turnaround, but Barlow's performance was critical to the team's success. As it became clear that Joel Embiid was not in a position to lead the team to victory while he continues to recover from his injured meniscus, Barlow was asked to play center as the game began to wind down.
"I think that the biggest thing that helped me was not overcomplicating it, Barlow said."Just doing my best to stay locked in the game and think about any way I can help us get a win."
Barlow returned home from Boston something of a hero for Sixers fans. Tonight, he has his first opportunity to play in a regular-season game for his new hometown team. However, the young forward is not focused on the reception he will receive from the Philly faithful; though he appreciates their support, he's focused on the task at hand: beating Charlotte and giving Sixers fans another win.
"I'm excited to play," Barlow said after a Saturday morning shootaround. "If they want to say I was a hero or not, that's up to them. I'm just trying to play basketball and give them a good product, as a team, for them to enjoy."
There's no word yet on the starting lineup for tonight's game. However, with both Paul George and Trendon Watford still out, he will likely take the court alongside Tyrese Maxey, VJ Edgecombe, Kelly Oubre, and Joel Embiid— barring any last-minute updates.
