Hidden Gems: Dominick Barlow Carries Alluring Potential Late in Draft

Overtime Elite forward Dominick Barlow has garnered some attention since participating at the NBA Draft Combine.
Hidden Gems: Dominick Barlow Carries Alluring Potential Late in Draft
Hidden Gems: Dominick Barlow Carries Alluring Potential Late in Draft /

Potential sells in the NBA Draft.

In the NBA Draft, it’s impossible to peg the mindsets held within each war room. As displayed in each draft, curveballs are part of the program. The recent trend – potential sells when team’s are up to bat. Last season, the San Antonio Spurs snagged Josh Primo in the late lottery. In 2020, the Cleveland Cavaliers invested a Top 5 Pick to select Isaac Okoro. Three years ago, Jordan Poole was picked by the Golden State Warriors in the first round. He was expected to be a second-round pick.

As this season’s draft approaches, scouts and executives alike will be making calls on whether to buy the hype, or not bite on prospects. While some draft-day fliers swing from a late-first-round grade to the teens, these potential-infused picks can be scattered all across the board.

With a wide array of prospects in this class, Dominick Barlow fits the bill as a player whose draft position could smash the consensus.

Barlow, age 19, swerved the collegiate route this season, passing on a slew of Power 5 offers to play professionally for Overtime Elite. In his tenure for OTE, the forward logged averages of 14.6 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 1.4 assists across a 25.0-minute palate.

Offensively, Barlow carries an attractive frame and archetype to nurture at the next level. At 6-foot-9, 215 pounds, he fits the bill to operate at the four. Barlow possesses agility and athletic-ability more akin to a small forward, leading to him exploiting more flat-footed defenders. His greatest strength comes at attacking the basket, as his acceleration and vertical ability make him a key cog in the fastbreak and as a rim runner. Barlow showed flashes of rolling off of screens, but that will be a key growing point moving forward. As a shooter, he seldom shot threes, placing a 30.4% clip on 2.3 attempts per game. However, he did a great job forcing whistles (3.9 FGA) to clock a 76.9% recording at the stripe.

Defensively, Barlow showed flashes of defensive versatility that franchises crave. With OTE, he averaged 1.1 steals and 1.3 blocks per game, showing activity in the passing lanes and right around the rack. The forward’s 7-foot-3 wingspan elevates his defensive floor as with good lateral quickness, there’s room for him to be a multi-positional defender. He has been an inconsistent perimeter to this point, though. He did carry some woes with fouls, averaging 2.3 per contest, but this was not egregious. The mold is there for Barlow on this side of the floor.

Leading into draft night, Barlow’s greatest asset is his potential. Due to his non-traditional route, questions about level of play are destined to come up. However, his impressive NBA Combine performance, including a 19-point outing, may help fill out his resume.

It’s hard to peg Barlow’s draft range headed into draft night. If a team is sold on Barlow’s potential, him going early into the second round is very much in the equation. However, most consensus boards view him as a player not in play until the 40s. Quite frankly, this assumed draft placement means nothing with high-upside players, especially when you enter the second round.

Based on Barlow’s experience to this point, splitting him between the NBA and G League program could provide major benefits for him to hone in on his game. The building block is there with Barlow. He’s a high-motor finisher with NBA size, a mechanically sound jumper, and some intriguing quickness defensively. But, he’ll need a team fully invested in developing him over time.


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Ben Creider
BEN CREIDER

Ben Creider has been covering the Oklahoma City Thunder since the 2020-21 season, beginning his work with an independent blog site. Along with SI Thunder, Creider also produces podcasts for The Basketball Podcast Network.