Dominick Barlow: Stock on the Rise

Dominick Barlow has gone from virtual unknown to the fastest rising player on draft boards around the country. The high upside forward has a chance to continue to prove the doubters wrong as he carves his path to the NBA.

If you would like to learn exactly where Dominick Barlow ranks on MIP 99, read more here! 

Strengths: Barlow is a fast riser on draft boards because of his potential on both sides of the ball and the increased demand for high level NBA wings. With the physical attributes of size and wingspan to compliment his game he has an NBA level frame with the room to build on it as he develops. Offensivley the form, fluidity and high release in his jumper helped mark him as one of the best shooters on his Overtime Elite team. He shot 33% from behind the arc and was especially efficient on catch and shoot opportunities, being most comfortable in the corners based on his shooting mechanics and size he should only continue to improve as he develops. As a respected three point shooter in the OTE league, his shooting ability from deep allowed him to punish late or strong closeouts by either taking it all the way to the rim or stopping short and shooting from mid-range. While Barlow prefers to finish with his right hand he has shown he can finish on both sides of the rim. When he gets into an NBA system he should continue to work on finishing through contact however, that doesn’t mean he shies away from it now. A 76% free throw shooter, Barlow is confident in his shooting ability at the stripe and is not afraid to punish small guards down low or take bigs off the dribble even if it means getting bumped and having to shoot two. He is an average ball handler for his position with the ability to run in transition, take a rebound end to end or work as the initiator in the PNR. Based on his shooting ability he can also act as the screener with an option to roll and attack the mismatch or fade to the three point line and make a defensive miscommunication or overhelp pay. Building on his shooting ability will allow him to further punish late or strong closeouts along with shooting a higher percentage from the post. While he is reliable when he gets in deep he has a tendency to also bail out a smaller defender and shoot a turnaround however if he can become a more consistent shooter in those situations it will only further elevate his ceiling. Working out of the post Barlow is calm under pressure. He has shown good anticipation when experiencing the double team and has consistently made the right decision when being attacked down low. Off the ball he acts as a floor spacer or could be used as a cutter. His ability to elevate in transition and on a backdoor cut should both be beneficial to the pace of play going forward, either in the G-League or NBA. A solid basketball IQ and good instincts with our without the ball he seems to always be in the right place on the offensive side of the ball even if he isn’t directly impacting the play. Defensively, his size and length immediately raise his defensive ceiling. He has continued to show promise on the other side of the ball when he is focused. Getting into passing lanes and frustrating his assignment both on and off the ball he should only continue to improve in time especially if he continues on his current development path. Overall, and most importantly he is a good teammate. Barlow may not be the loudest player on the floor but he leads by example. 

Areas of Improvement: With such a small sample size the combine helped identify areas of improvement for Dominick Barlow, especially in the 5 on 5’s against top collegiate competition. Athletically, he isn’t the most explosive in the half court and isn’t going to blow you off the page with insane bounce or all-world speed. To date he hasn’t needed this in his game to compete but the size and speed of the NBA level may be a bit tougher to adjust to. For example, he has a hard time rising up out of the post and recovering/help defenders with momentum can cleanly challenge him at the rim because he doesn’t have the lift to rise up. The solution to this is going to be him going up stronger when pushing the ball in the paint which is something immediately addressable. Expanding further on the speed of the game he was able to get good looks during the combine but may be able to benefit from speeding up his release when he gets to the next level. Players are faster and stronger which could lead to more contested looks if he doesn’t speed up his release even by a minimal margin. It won’t make or break his NBA future but would help make adjusting easier. Improving his ability to finish through contact is an area that should become easier over time. Barlow will continue to build on his frame which will give him the strength to go to the basket harder push the ball to the rim more effectively and finish through the contact he may currently be struggling against. As a good free throw shooter making defenses pay on soft or lazy fouls will help directly benefit his team and make him a reliable choice going forward. Barlow currently doesn’t use his size and weight as an advantage and allows defenders to force him into low efficiency shots going away from the basket instead of forcing his way to the rim. He also is a bit uncomfortable when defenders are physical. Part of this goes hand in hand with going up stronger and should be addressed all together in his rookie year. The other developmental solution is allowing him to get comfortable with using angles around the basket, bank shots are just as effective and would allow him to be comfortable even if he is forced off his line. He is a good decision maker out of the post but can work on developing as a passer and playmaker. Barlow shows flashes in a small sample size but could really raise his ceiling if he becomes a reliable distributor and ball handler. Defensively, he has all the physical attributes to be a good defender as we mentioned but his adjustment to the speed of the game could determine how strong of a defender he becomes. Barlow has good hips and slow feet when defending draft prospects. Even though he is able to flip his hips on smaller guards he just hasn’t been able to consistently keep up with them. There are questions surrounding how many positions he could reasonably guard but it currently on feels like forwards and small fives. Seemed to have a tendency to drift and lose focus leaving him prone to bad fouls and over commitments when his man received the ball. Also had a bit of trouble switching in the pick and roll onto smaller guards. This could change as he develops but should be something to consider. 

External Factors: The level of play in the Overtime Elite League is hard to gauge. It isn’t necessarily a negative but will be interesting to see how he adjusts to the level of play in the G-League/NBA especially with the rising talent level of the development league. 

Medical History: Barlow doesn’t have any history impacting his draft stock.