‘Every team needs one of those guys’ like Dominick Barlow, who is showing he deserves to stick with the Sixers

LOS ANGELES — Dominick Barlow elevated to attempt to tip in Kelly Oubre Jr.’s missed jumper in the lane, then instantly sprang up again when the ball bounced off the backboard. Barlow then got up a third time, hanging in the air to seemingly will the ball into the basket through contact.

The 6-foot-9 forward has spent this season as an appreciated 76ers role player who has completely outperformed his two-way contract. Barlow is a terrific cutter and savvy rebounder. He blends his athleticism and intelligence to fill in the gaps without overstepping. He “plays the right way, every single night,” All-Star teammate Tyrese Maxey said.

Yet Barlow finally got his monster stat line Monday in an impressive 128-113 76ers victory against the surging Los Angeles Clippers at Intuit Dome. He racked up a career-high 26 points on 10-of-16 shooting along with 16 rebounds, including an eye-popping 10 on the offensive glass. The outburst provided further evidence that part of the Sixers’ trade-deadline approach this week should be ensuring a roster spot is available to convert Barlow to a standard contract.

“Really went after it, man,” coach Nick Nurse said of Barlow’s outing. “ … Just wouldn’t quit playing hard, and he kept finding opportunities and made the most of them.”

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It was fitting that Barlow brought that energy after the Sixers’ cross-country flight to kick off this crucial five-game Western Conference road trip.

Barlow felt a big night brewing early, when “a lot of stuff I got was really easy” while compiling 11 points and seven rebounds in the opening quarter. Those buckets came by way of two put-back dunks, a cutting and-one layup, and a steal and fastbreak slam. Barlow totaled another six rebounds (four on the offensive end) in the third quarter. And his final scoring burst helped cut short a Clippers fourth-quarter rally.

“He stole a lot of my rebounds,” star center Joel Embiid joked. “ … Every team needs one of those guys, [who] does everything.”

This career performance arrived after Barlow’s role fluctuated during the last 10 days.

The 22-year-old had become the starting power forward while Oubre missed about seven weeks with a knee injury. Yet once Oubre regained his rhythm upon returning to the court, Barlow moved to a reserve role and said he understood why Nurse made that decision. When Paul George was abruptly suspended 25 games for violating the NBA’s anti-drug policy on Saturday, Barlow moved back into the first five.

He has been an ideal fit with that starting group. Instead of worrying about creating offense with the ball in his hands, he can find spots to set a flare screen or make the correct pass. And when opposing defenders leave him to double-team stars Maxey or Embiid, that frees Barlow up to beeline toward the rim to snag the offensive rebound. He entered Tuesday’s game averaging 8.3 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 1.3 assists in 39 games.

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“They make the game really simple,” Barlow said of those teammates.

Monday’s outburst also allowed Barlow to reflect on how he wound up in Philly.

When asked about the origins of his knack for rebounding, he credits his long arms, instincts, and ball skills as a former football player. After beginning his NBA career with the San Antonio Spurs and Atlanta Hawks, Barlow did not stress when he didn’t immediately land with a new team at the start of free agency last summer. He believed he was “as strong mentally as they come,” and that “I can’t determine whether a team’s going to like the way I play or not. I can only just get better.”

He joined the Sixers on a two-way contract, plopping himself into the middle of their Summer League stint in Las Vegas. President of basketball operations Daryl Morey said there that he believed the Sixers had successfully leveraged that type of team-friendly deal, which typically allows younger players to split time between the NBA and G League, to gain an impactful player. When Maxey returned to Philly for informal workouts before training camp, he quickly noticed Barlow “flying around like, ‘Dang, this dude’s an athlete.’”

Barlow immediately earned a rotation spot, knowing steady minutes would bring increased comfort. So would the confidence instilled in him by coaches and teammates, which Barlow raved about Monday.

“I’ve got Joel Embiid, the league MVP,” Barlow told The Inquirer at his locker, “telling me [that] when I go slash, shoot the ball. Don’t pass. …

“I’ve had great teammates in the past. I don’t know if I’ve had guys collectively, as a whole, just so supportive and want to see me play well.”

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As Barlow approached his career high in points Monday, he reminded himself not to force it. He reached the personal milestone on a crafty driving and-one finish with less than nine minutes to play, then received a smattering of “M-V-P!” chants from Sixers fans as he stepped to the free throw line. On the Sixers’ next possession, Maxey slung a pass to Barlow in the corner for a three-pointer that serendipitously rattled in, and increased the Sixers’ lead to 17 points .

“You want to [reward] him,” Maxey said.

Even after Nurse pulled his starters, the coach briefly kept Barlow on the floor so he could receive his own ovation upon checking out of the game. The bench celebration was appropriate for the appreciated role player who, until Monday’s stat-stuffing breakout, had primarily filled the gaps.

And it illustrated why one of the Sixers’ trade-deadline tasks should be securing a full roster spot for Barlow to fill.

“I understand what winning basketball looks like,” Barlow said, “and I’m just trying to continue to, hopefully, make this place a home.”