July 31, 2026
Gary A. Vasquez/IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Can Dominick Barlow continue to ascend in his second season in Philadelphia?
Last Thursday, Dominick Barlow was on a New Jersey golf course with friends, unwinding on a rare day off, when his phone erupted. He will soon be getting to know another avid golfer.
"I was wondering if it was, like, an emergency or something," Barlow told PhillyVoice in a phone interview on Friday.
Barlow learned that he will now be teammates with LeBron James, the NBA's all-time leading scorer. Barlow, born in May 2003, completely grasps the gravity of what is happening.
"It's a surreal feeling," Barlow said, "because as long as I've been alive, he's been in the NBA – at the face of it, pretty much. Him being on our team, he's obviously going to help us a lot. But I'm excited to see the process that he goes through every day and try to pick his brain as much as possible."
Among James' many basketball superpowers across 23 years in the NBA: elevating role players by empowering them to perform their strongest skills as often as possible. He will occupy the starting power forward position, which Barlow held down for much of his first season in Philadelphia. But Barlow, a student of the game, is acutely aware of how James' arrival can help him unlock a new gear.
"All of the work I've been doing this summer shooting corner threes – I mean, he's an elite passer," Barlow said. "Being in those windows, he can make pretty much any pass. So he's going to garner a lot of attention. So being ready to shoot. I know the ball is going to get there, probably on the seams, and it's going to be a crisp pass. Just got to knock down open shots. And I think running in transition – he's a willing outlet passer, obviously, he runs hard and pushes himself... I think just running for him and looking for some of those outlets, kicking it ahead to him and filling in lanes, it's going to be good. And I think when we're on the court together, there's a lot of stuff we could do in transition, but also in the half-court."
Dominick Barlow scored a career-high 26 points to go with 16 rebounds (10 offensive) in the Sixers' win over the Clippers on Monday night.
— Adam Aaronson's clips (@SixersAdamClips) February 3, 2026
Full highlights from the best game of Barlow's young, promising NBA career: pic.twitter.com/OghfS0474k
Barlow is eager to hone in on his strengths, and his offensive rebounding, athleticism and defensive versatility will all come in handy. Those skills will arguably be more valuable to the Sixers next season than they were a year ago. But his role diminished as the playoffs went on because opposing teams took advantage of his suspect jumper. That is where the bulk of his offseason has been.
"I think there's a lot of things that I'm working on this summer that might have been weaknesses in the past that are going to become strengths," Barlow said.
It is no surprise that Barlow's primary focus this summer has been shooting; that was a weakness of his even before an early-season elbow injury complicated his mechanics for the remainder of the year. Last season, Barlow's convoluted mechanics included his wrist and shoulder compensating for his injured elbow. That caused shoulder discomfort. It was a "chain reaction that was going on," Barlow said.
Barlow's elbow is 100 percent now, he said, and he believes it is the key to improving his career 25.4 percent mark from long range. Barlow is reworking his shooting mechanics; he said the focus is starting out his shot with that elbow in a different place, allowing him to be more consistent when it comes to completing his shooting motion and giving him a stronger base. Most of the shooting work has come from the corners.
The more Dominick Barlow shares the floor with Joel Embiid, the more he is going to be challenged to knock down this exact shot: pic.twitter.com/iaQIK2aFwk
— Adam Aaronson's clips (@SixersAdamClips) October 26, 2025
“Right now, just looking at our personnel, the guys we have running the floor and filling in those spots, I think making that shot is the most important thing," Barlow said. "And if I'm making other shots, it's definitely a plus. But if I can space the floor out from the corners, I think it gives our team a whole different look with all the other stuff that I do."
SIXERS FILM STUDIES
Jaylen Brown's strengths | Jaylen Brown's weaknesses
Anfernee Simons | Dean Wade | Ariel Hukporti
While Barlow helped fill a hole at power forward last year, James is set to stabilize that position moving forward. It could mean more minutes as a backup center. Barlow played there early and late last season, but for the most part Sixers head coach Nick Nurse kept him at the four, where his fit alongside Joel Embiid was pristine. Barlow is open to the challenge of playing the five on a more consistent basis.
"Getting bigger and stronger has been the focus regardless. So whether that's at the four or the five, I think we could do a lot of versatile stuff as a team, including with myself," Barlow said. "Obviously, I'm willing to play wherever I'm needed to play at. But I think when you have Big Fella, he's so dynamic, it gives you choices of things to do."
Sometimes, Joel Embiid can just draw multiple defenders and make things easier for everyone else. This is a smart impromptu screen from Dominick Barlow on a Quentin Grimes three: pic.twitter.com/iAEOc3cdq0
— Adam Aaronson's clips (@SixersAdamClips) April 1, 2026
The player Barlow was last year would be a perfectly suitable regular-season rotation big for next year's Sixers. But if the corner three becomes a comfortable landing spot for him on offense, he could become one of the most important role players within the NBA's inner circle of championship contenders. That knowledge is driving his work.
He is playing for $3,415,000 in 2026-27 after the Sixers picked up his team option; Barlow described playing out the season on an expiring contract as something that "works for both" himself and the team. If Barlow ends up proving to be a key cog in an elite team, he has the chance to cash in as a 24-year-old unrestricted free agent next summer.
A terrific move from Dominick Barlow while moving at an incredible speed: pic.twitter.com/7dMOzH95ag
— Adam Aaronson's clips (@SixersAdamClips) March 16, 2026
A New Jersey native, Barlow has stayed local this summer, splitting his time between his home state and Philadelphia. In what has been an eventful and transformational offseason for new Sixers President of Basketball Operations Mike Gansey, Barlow said "you can feel the energy shifting" in the area. He is getting stopped by fans more often this summer than last, when he was still trying to make a name for himself.
"I think as a team, we need those expectations and kind of that pressure to bring the best out of us," Barlow said. "And we have a pretty complete group right now. There's going to be challenges throughout the season that we're going to have to figure out. But I think everybody is in the understanding of being bought in to compete and really maximize what this team can be."
While James and Jaylen Brown are the headliners, Barlow was eager to praise Gansey's work on the rest of the roster, lauding Dean Wade's versatility as a forward and Anfernee Simons' three-point shooting, among other moves.
"You couldn't have asked for a better offseason," Barlow said. "...The additions that we've made – I mean, Mike came in and said that he was going to change, and try to make us a championship team. And he stuck to his word. So I think from a player standpoint, obviously we all respect what he has done. I think for the fans, it's exciting because they want us to win and be successful. And Mike comes in here and brings in marquee guys like that and really stand on his word of changing the culture, I think it's great."
Barlow spent his first four NBA seasons with three organizations, and was grateful to finally kick the door down last season and establish himself as worthy of a roster spot. Even in a role which will surely come with fewer minutes, Barlow's excitement about how he fits into the most interesting team in the league is palpable.
"I love being here," Barlow said. "I love our staff, I love our front office and my teammates, and that's not going to change."
SIXERS SIGN LEBRON JAMES
James' decision | Projecting Sixers' rotation | James' impact, on and off the court
