Outside of Ariel Hukporti, the Philadelphia 76ers don’t have any season-ending injuries on the roster. However, Dominick Barlow has yet to debut this season.
The veteran power forward has been dealing with a back issue, which dates back to training camp. When the Sixers went through their preseason, Barlow was one of a few players who never got to debut.
When the Sixers offered an official update on Barlow’s injury, the team revealed that he was dealing with a lumbar spine bone stress response in his lower back.
76ers head coach Nick Nurse was asked about Barlow before Monday’s game between the 76ers and the Chicago Bulls. The head coach confirmed that Barlow was getting re-evaluated on Tuesday, November 3.
“Nick Nurse says Dominick Barlow is seeing a specialist tomorrow and has been on the court a bit,” Philly Voice’s Adam Aaronson reported on Monday night.
What’s Next For Dominick Barlow?
The Sixers were likely to keep Barlow on the outside of their rotation to begin the 2026-2027 NBA season, considering their stacked depth at the power forward position.
However, considering the current state of the center position, the Sixers could’ve utilized Barlow as a small-ball five. Unfortunately, he hasn’t been able to get on the court to prove he deserves to be in the rotation.
Last year, Barlow started the season on a two-way deal. He appeared in 71 games, starting in 59 of those matchups at power forward.
Seeing the court for 23.8 minutes per game, Barlow has posted averages of 7.7 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 1.2 assists per game. He made 53.9% of his shots from the field and hit on 25.6% of his threes, taking 1.2 attempts per game.
Barlow has to get healthy before the 76ers can even consider thinking about his role when he returns. With the season already underway–and the Sixers off to a 6-1 start–it’s going to be difficult for Barlow to crack the rotation if he returns soon.
