Dominick Barlow needs more time for lower back injury to heal, Sixers coach Nick Nurse says
Barlow will need at least 10-to-12 more days of recovery as he tries to come back from a lower back injury.
Dominick Barlow will still need more time before making his season debut for the 76ers.
The forward and center will need at least another “10-to-12 days” before he is cleared for on-court basketball activities, coach Nick Nurse said before Wednesday’s game against the Pistons.
Barlow has been out since the start of the season because of a lumbar spine bone stress response. He was doing some individual work prior to the Pistons game.
On the eve of the regular season, the Sixers announced Barlow would be evaluated after two weeks. That re-evaluation happened on Tuesday to determine how the recovery is progressing.
» READ MORE: Elite defense, offense needs work, and Tyrese Maxey, No. 1 option: Let’s play Sixers real or not real
“It went pretty good,” Nurse said. “He still got a little bit of time to wait, but they’re pretty positive about it getting better, and I think it’ll be another 10-to-12 days before they kind of clear him for getting on the court to see where he is there.”
Since losing Ariel Hukporti to an Achilles injury in the preseason, the Sixers have been relying on Adem Bona as their backup center, along with smaller lineups featuring Jabari Walker, Dean Wade and LeBron James playing the five when Joel Embiid has been off the floor.
Embiid was on a minutes restriction in Monday’s win over the Bulls as he deals with plantar fasciitis in his right foot. The Sixers’ center has not played in two games that have come in back-to-back situations as the team manages his health.
Barlow is in his fifth NBA season, and his second with the Sixers, after playing with the Atlanta Hawks and San Antonio Spurs. He averaged 7.7 points and 4.8 rebounds in 71 games a season ago and was a part of the team’s frontcourt rotation.
Inquirer beat reporters Gina Mizell and Chris Hine go behind the scenes of covering LeBron James, Jaylen Brown and the Sixers’ star-studded roster, and debate what’s real and not real about the team’s hot start. Watch here.
Watch the full interview below and subscribe to the Sixers Extra podcast on Spotify or Apple Podcasts.
