Dominick Barlow's Back Injury May Force Sixers To Shuffle Their Starting Lineup

The Sixers person started Tyrese Maxey, VJ Edgecombe, Paul George, Dominick Barlow and Joel Embiid successful 8 of their past 9 games, including Wednesday's blowout nonaccomplishment to nan Cleveland Cavaliers. They haven't had that type of game-to-game continuity successful astir 2 years.

It mightiness upwind up being short-lived.

Early successful nan 3rd 4th against nan Cavaliers, Barlow went up for a layup successful modulation and landed difficult connected his back. The Sixers later ruled him retired for nan crippled pinch a backmost contusion.

After nan game, Sixers caput coach Nick Nurse told reporters that Barlow underwent X-rays, which were negative. He's group to acquisition an MRI connected Thursday.

Barlow missed 2 weeks early successful nan play pinch an elbow contusion, truthful we've already gotten a consciousness of really Nurse mightiness switch him successful nan rotation. However, that was earlier Barlow had entrenched himself successful nan starting lineup and earlier Paul George made his play debut. Barlow has started successful 22 of nan Sixers' past 23 games and averaged 25.2 minutes per crippled complete that span, truthful immoderate magnitude of clip he misses would beryllium noticeable.

"Soon arsenic we yet commencement to get healthy, and there's immoderate consistency pinch nan starting group… it'll beryllium different starting group travel Friday," George told reporters aft nan game. "So, that has been nan challenge."

The first mobility they'll request to answer: Who should switch him until he returns?

The trickle-down effects of Barlow's injury

Oubre might beryllium nan evident choice arsenic Barlow's impermanent (?) replacement. He started nan first 12 games of nan twelvemonth earlier going down pinch an LCL sprain, and he started successful Sunday's overtime nonaccomplishment to nan Toronto Raptors pinch some George and Joel Embiid sidelined. He has nan astir scoring upside of nan imaginable Barlow fill-ins, though moving him into nan starting lineup would unit George to descent up and defender much 4s.

If nan Sixers want to support Oubre's scoring punch coming disconnected nan chair alongside Quentin Grimes, Trendon Watford and Jabari Walker would beryllium their different apical options. Like Oubre, Watford conscionable returned from an wounded that sidelined him for much than a month, though dissimilar Oubre, he's been playing sparingly since his return. He vanished pinch 3 points, 2 rebounds and 4 assists successful 17 minutes against Cleveland connected Wednesday.

Watford had a 20-point, 17-rebound and 10-assist triple-double—the first of his career!—against nan Raptors backmost successful November, and he flirted pinch different triple-double 2 weeks later against nan Miami Heat. His imagination and expertise to create for teammates differentiates him from Walker, who does astir of his harm connected nan solid and either close to nan handbasket aliases from deep.

If nan Sixers want to instrumentality pinch much of a accepted powerfulness guardant successful spot of Barlow, Walker aliases Watford whitethorn person nan wrong way complete Oubre. If they want their 5 champion players to commencement successful Barlow's absence, they'll apt spell pinch Oubre and person Watford and Walker travel disconnected nan bench. They could ever get weird and commencement Adem Bona adjacent to Embiid, too, though Bona mightiness person excessively overmuch worth arsenic a backup large for them to earnestly see going that route.

The two-way timepiece implications

If Barlow does upwind up missing clip owed to his backmost injury, location would beryllium 1 metallic lining for nan Sixers: They wouldn't person to beryllium successful rather arsenic overmuch of a hurry to motion personification to a 10-day contract.

As we primitively noted successful mid-December, nan Sixers are constricted to 90 full games from their two-way players until they motion personification to capable their unfastened roster spot. As of Jan. 2, they were down to 12 games left wherever some Barlow and Walker could beryllium progressive owed to nan Under-Fifteen Game rule. Both person been progressive successful each of nan 7 games since, truthful nan Sixers should beryllium down to only 10 full Under-Fifteen Games left.

If Barlow is forced to miss time, nan Sixers wouldn't person to beryllium successful specified a unreserved to capable their unfastened roster spot. They person 11 games near earlier nan Feb. 5 waste and acquisition deadline, and they fig to prioritize keeping astatine slightest 1 roster spot unfastened truthful they tin yet person Barlow from a two-way woody to a modular contract. Granted, they tin ever motion personification to a 10-day woody and widen nan Under-Fifteen timepiece that measurement arsenic well.

Barlow has been progressive for only 29 games this year, truthful he still has a ways to spell connected his individual 50-game clock. However, Wednesday's nonaccomplishment to Cleveland was Walker's 39th progressive crippled of nan year. That intends he tin beryllium progressive successful only 11 much games complete nan remainder of nan play earlier nan Sixers either person to waive him aliases person him to a modular deal.

Barlow's backmost wounded could unit nan Sixers' manus successful that regard. They mightiness not consciousness comfortable leaving Walker connected nan inactive database while Barlow is sidelined, but that could unit them to make a determination connected his semipermanent early correct astir nan waste and acquisition deadline. If they don't scheme to person him to a modular contract, that could pass their trade-deadline plans arsenic well.

While Barlow's backmost wounded shouldn't beryllium arsenic impactful arsenic 1 to Maxey, Embiid, George aliases Edgecombe would be, location are immoderate sneaky-big implications if he's forced to miss time.

Unless different noted, each stats via NBA.com, PBPStats, Cleaning nan Glass or Basketball Reference. All net accusation via Spotrac and salary-cap accusation via RealGM.

Follow Bryan connected Bluesky.