Player Focus: Dominick Barlow Needs a Job on a Crowded…

By the 76ers Nightly Desk · Monday, October 5

Dominick Barlow enters 2026-27 as a cheap, efficient forward buried behind two new high-priced additions. His shot selection and rebounding numbers from last season show exactly what he needs to prove now that the frontcourt depth chart has changed.

Dominick Barlow of the 76ers — Dominick Barlow. Photo: Pikraken, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Where does Dominick Barlow fit now that Jaylen Brown and LeBron James are both at forward?

Barlow is a forward on a depth chart that now runs through Joel Embiid, Jaylen Brown, LeBron James, Dean Wade, Jabari Walker, Adem Bona and Ariel Hukporti. He played 23.8 minutes a night across 71 games last season, and that number is the one under the most pressure now that two new frontcourt names outrank him on the roster. He is listed Day-To-Day today with a rest designation, not a specific injury.

What does Barlow actually do well?

He shot 53.9 percent from the floor and posted a 59.7 percent true shooting mark on 12.5 percent usage, both signs of efficient, low-mistake basketball. He added 4.8 rebounds, 0.9 steals and 0.7 blocks while turning the ball over only 0.8 times in just 23.8 minutes, with a 111.9 defensive rating that held up his end of the floor.

Is his jump shot ever going to be reliable?

Not yet. He made 25.6 percent of his threes last season on only 1.2 attempts a game, a low-volume, low-accuracy combination that keeps him from spacing the floor next to Embiid or James. Until that number moves, he is a rim-and-glass piece, not a shooter defenses have to respect.

Why does his $3.4 million team option matter?

It is a team option for 2026-27, which means the 76ers decide whether Barlow is worth keeping at that price, not him. On a payroll of $213.2 million that sits above the first apron, a cheap, productive forward is useful roster math, but only if his minutes justify picking up that option again next summer.

What does Barlow need to be this season?

A reliable fourth or fifth big who rebounds and defends without needing plays run for him, which his 12.5 percent usage last season already shows he can do. His 4.8 rebounds in 23.8 minutes and 9.6 percent rebound rate need to climb, or Bona and Hukporti push him further down a frontcourt with no room left for a non-shooter without a specialty.

The verdictBarlow does not need a new offensive game this season. He needs those 23.8 minutes a night to look more valuable than what Wade or Walker offer, because with Brown and James now drawing the big money, a team-option forward either outproduces the depth chart or gets replaced by it.

Is Dominick Barlow a starter for the 76ers?

No. He is a rotation forward who played 23.8 minutes a game last season, and the frontcourt now includes Joel Embiid, Jaylen Brown and LeBron James ahead of him.

What is Dominick Barlow's contract status?

He is on a team option for 2026-27 worth $3.4 million, which the 76ers control, not him.