NBA Draft: 5 intriguing 2nd round picks
Dominick Barlow
Dom Barlow is a 19 year old power forward who averaged 14.8 points, 5.9 rebs, 1.5 asts, 1.1 stls, 1.2 blks last season in the Overtime Elite League. He shot 53% from the floor and 36% from behind the arc.
He stands at 6’8.75″ without shoes, 6’9.75″ with shoes, with a 7’3 wingspan.
He is a young, stretch four who can guard multiple positions and hustles for loose balls. Synergy Sports profile has a nice breakdown of Dom’s strengths and weaknesses.
• Doing much of his scoring making effort plays off the ball or running to the arc in transition, Barlow also showed the ability to use long strides to attack the rim and some footwork in the mid-post. Ranking among the most efficient offensive players in Overtime Elite’s inaugural season, he flashed interesting versatility and plenty of room to continue to improve.
• A rangy athlete who can play above the rim in space, Barlow scored 1.33 points per transition possession [92nd percentile] making a consistent effort to beat the defense up the floor or fill lanes behind the play. Scoring 1.27 points per shot around the rim in the half court [77th percentile], he was assertive looking to play through contact, took what defenders gave him as a slasher, and was effective on the glass looking to exploit the strides he made with his frame against his peers.
• Scoring 0.97 points per jump shot [70th percentile], Barlow has some things to clean up mechanically to reach his potential as a floor spacer and struggled to convert consistently in the half court, but shot the three well in transition and seemed to find a nice rhythm mid-year.
• Making some simple plays as a passer but remaining somewhat green as a ball handler and decision-maker, Barlow is still growing as an offensive threat. Even so, he showed some budding skill on top of the notable strides he made physically and the energy he brings to the floor.
Defensively,
• With the tools to be a multi-positional playmaker on the defensive end, Barlow had some impressive moments moving his feet containing the ball on the perimeter, covering ground to block shots, and not giving up on plays. Allowing 0.50 points per one-on-one possession, his length and intensity stood out in Overtime Elite play even if he was not always particularly physical.
• Barlow flashed some instincts in the passing lanes and as a shot blocker, but will face a bit of a learning curve as an off ball defender at the next level and has room to become a more consistent factor on the glass.
Dom has a lot of potential, but he is also reckless in his closeouts. Multiple times at the combine he hustled towards the ball and committed a foul. One foul was particularly unnecessary, as Barlow fouled the ballhandler in the backcourt, while the player was facing his own basket. That gets you benched in the NBA.
Also, he didn’t do much rebounding in either scrimmages, only collecting one reb in two games. That’s very disappointing for a power forward.
However, Dom went 7-9 for 19 pts in his first scrimmage and 2-4 for 4 pts in his second scrimmage.
Dom has developing to do, but at just19 years old with a solid jumpshot, good frame, potential on both ends of the floor, and willingness to hustle, he is worth a 2nd round gamble.
If you want to watch him, you can see him here.