The update on Dominick Barlow didn’t come with a clean return date, and that was enough to send some 76ers fans into alarm mode ahead of the matchup with the Toronto Raptors this week.
That reaction makes sense. When a team has spent years giving out vague injury information and little else, even a simple phrase like “no timeline yet for a return to play” can set off the panic button. But buried in the uncertainty was the part that should matter most: Barlow was listed as a participant in Thursday morning’s shootaround.
That still doesn’t mean he’ll be on the floor immediately. He was already ruled out on Wednesday night. Even so, it marks the clearest sign yet that he’s moving forward after a back injury that has kept him from doing much with the 76ers on either a game or practice level since the offseason.
Philadelphia could use the help. Right now, the frontcourt is being stretched thin, and the balance between the four and the five has been off.
Joel Embiid is healthy enough to play, but the team is trying to keep his minutes in check. Adem Bona is sidelined and won’t be available for at least another week after already missing three straight games.
Ariel Hukporti won’t suit up for the Sixers this season because of an Achilles injury.
LeBron James, Dean Wade, and Jabari Walker are all being asked to help fill the center spot, but that comes with its own complications. James and Wade need to stay at their natural positions as much as possible, while Walker has done what he can despite dealing with an injury earlier this season. And Embiid can’t be counted on to play every night.
That’s why Barlow matters here. He isn’t the full answer at center, but he is another body the Sixers badly need while they’re juggling the frontcourt.
Barlow’s value isn’t a mystery to this group, either. Last season, he played in 71 games for Philadelphia and started 59 of them, logging 23.8 minutes per game. He shot 53.9% from the field and averaged 7.7 points, along with 4.8 rebounds per game.
Only 11% of his minutes came at center, according to Basketball Reference, but he already knows Nick Nurse’s system and can slide back in quickly. The timeline is still unclear, but the fact that he was able to take part in shootaround suggests he’s not as far away as some feared.
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Joel Embiid Just Gave The Sixers Another Brutal Health Scare
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Still, the bigger concern is the pattern around Embiids health. He has been managing plantar fasciitis and recently tweaked his ankle, and with the 76ers thin behind him at center, every scare carries extra weight. Even a short absence would force Philadelphia to scramble for answers in a spot where it does not have many. [Read more 🡒]
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For Sixers fans, the mention lands a little differently because Maxey has become one of the franchises most important pieces and is now part of the broader conversation around how elite guards fit alongside other stars. Philadelphia is coming off a win over Boston and getting ready to face the Raptors, but Anthonys comments add another layer to the way the league keeps circling back to the same question: how do top-end talents best complement each other when the stakes get bigger? [Read more 🡒]
76ers Gave Up On Johni Broome Before His Biggest NBA Chance
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Broome, a forward-center prospect, spent most of his rookie season in the G League, where he kept working while waiting for a chance to stick. Now he gets another shot to compete for minutes on a roster with a real need in the paint, and for Philadelphia it is another reminder that the story on a young big man does not always end where it starts. [Read more 🡒]