May 26, 2026
Now that the 2025-26 Sixers season is complete after a thrilling first-round series comeback and a jarring second-round sweep, it is time to reflect on the year that was.
Welcome to Sixers year-in-review, where each player's campaign will be analyzed with a combination of statistics, film and reporting.
Up next: Dominick Barlow, whose rise from two-way contract signee to full-time starter was one of the most surprising and encouraging storylines of the season for the Sixers. After the Sixers' very first training-camp practice, head coach Nick Nurse singled out Barlow as someone whose early work had impressed him.
With his terrific offensive rebounding, defensive versatility and situational awareness, Barlow became a terrific frontcourt partner for Joel Embiid and did all he needed to do to validate Nurse's backing. He earned a lucrative standard contract in the process and will almost certainly find his way back to Philadelphia next season.
SIXERS YEAR-IN-REVIEW
Joel Embiid | Tyrese Maxey | Paul George | Andre Drummond | Quentin Grimes | VJ Edgecombe | Dominick Barlow
Barlow is a rotation-caliber NBA big.
Barlow, who turned 23 years old on Tuesday, started in 59 of his 71 appearances in 2025-26, never falling out of Nurse's rotation. His primary utility was helping the Sixers win the possession battle with his work on the offensive glass. Barlow was the starter on opening night and grabbed five offensive rebounds; the Sixers scored each time and it swung the game.
But Barlow does not just grab rebounds on the offensive glass; he makes stellar plays out of them. His intuition is elite as far as when to go back up with the ball and when to, as Nurse says, "spray it out" to shooters. Tyrese Maxey and VJ Edgecombe were the primary beneficiaries of Barlow's passing out of offensive-rebounding situations:
Every time Dominick Barlow has grabbed an offensive rebound and immediately collected an assist as a member of the Sixers: pic.twitter.com/r5ooL9xdBU
— Adam Aaronson's clips (@SixersAdamClips) February 8, 2026
Barlow's ability to switch and hold his own on the perimeter as a 6-foot-10 athletic big is tremendously valuable, too, as is his decision-making as a dribble hand-off big. Barlow knows when to get the ball to Maxey or Edgecombe, and he also knows when to punch a gap. He has a legitimately good handle and, for a poor perimeter shooter, decent touch around the rim:
Some impressive dribble-drive game and touch from Dominick Barlow after faking a DHO: pic.twitter.com/XvH0eG4Nk5
— Adam Aaronson's clips (@SixersAdamClips) March 20, 2026
The remainder of Barlow's plus skills are taken advantage of by Embiid, a one-of-a-kind interior force whose ability to draw attention from defenders opens up avenues for Barlow to thrive. He is an elite cutter, and Embiid loves finding him:
Dominick Barlow looks like he is clearly the Sixers' best option to play power forward when Joel Embiid is on the floor. Embiid found a cutting Barlow for three different baskets in Tuesday's win over Memphis, a significant factor in Embiid's season-best passing performance: pic.twitter.com/XrmX4Rnthv
— Adam Aaronson's clips (@SixersAdamClips) December 31, 2025
Across the board, Barlow's numbers improved when he shared the floor with Embiid. The two bigs go together perfectly.
MORE: How Barlow earned an unusual standard deal
Barlow's three-point percentage: 25.6.
However, Barlow's role diminished in the playoffs because he is just about a non-shooter. Barlow suffered an unusual arm injury which prompted a procedure and weeks in a brace; Barlow believed that contributed to his poor three-point shooting mechanics after what was a positive summer of work.
It should go without saying that Barlow should prioritize working on his shot in the offseason ahead, because in high-leverage moments and games Nurse had little confidence playing him when defenses can leave him wide open.
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
Barlow does not need to become a great shooter – or even a good one – to become a playoff-caliber rotation piece. But he needs to at least be able to make defenses pay if they leave him wide open. That sounds like another 6-foot-10 Sixers forward who used to wear No. 25. The guess here: Barlow will not take his talents to professional fishing in the years to come.
Nick Nurse on the value of Barlow's passing out of offensive rebounds, Jan. 29:
"In the simplest terms, we love to find a bunch of guys that will go chase Tyrese and VJ and Joel's misses and give it back to them, and he does that job really well... Those are huge plays. Those are not only an extra possession, three points, but they're kind of spiritual plays, too. They give the team a big spirit lift. So it's good. He's got a knack for the ball and continues to play hard. Kind of plays good about every time we throw him out there."
MORE: How Daryl Morey's Sixers tenure reached its end after six chaotic seasons
Can Barlow find a way to impact games without sharing the floor with Embiid?
Part of the reason Barlow fell out of favor early in the playoffs is that Embiid was sidelined. By the time of Barlow's late reemergence, Embiid was back on the floor.
Barlow's self-awareness is his best trait as a basketball player, and he is acutely aware of all the ways Embiid's unique presence benefits him:
With Dominick Barlow starting with Joel Embiid again:
— Adam Aaronson (@SixersAdam) March 29, 2026
I had a long chat with Barlow after Wednesday's Sixers win about how Embiid makes his life easier, the ways he tries to return the favor and cutting. Dom went long. I put a ton of examples over the audio. Fun IMO!
VOLUME ON: pic.twitter.com/ZbHKN25g0G
However, particularly given how infrequently Embiid is available, Barlow has to be a more reliable player when he does not have the former NBA MVP out there with him. A semi-reliable shot would go a long way, as would some more stout defensive rebounding – for a stellar offensive rebounder, Barlow is a weak defensive rebounder relative to other bigs.
The floor for Barlow as a member of the Sixers is, at this point, solid. How much Barlow can improve his prospects as a rotation big sans Embiid will determine his longer-term ceiling.
MORE: Trading Tyrese Maxey to start over would be crazy... right?
