Significant Injury Update Provided on 76ers Forward

The Philadelphia 76ers' Dominick Barlow has yet to play this season due to a back injury, and it seems his health is trending in the right direction.

It was recently reported that Barlow had a lumbar spine bone stress, an injury that could linger for quite some time and never heal properly. Barlow has been dealing with this prior to training camp, and it seemed like there was no end in sight for the young forward.

According to coach Nick Nurse, Barlow is 10-12 days away from being cleared to be back on the court. The 76ers have been scrambling to find a solution for center depth, and getting a player like Barlow back could do them some good. Barlow may be a forward, but his high energy and shooting ability could be helpful for this 76ers team, especially this bench.

Adem Bona has been doing his best, but he tends to be a liability down the stretch. This bench is still struggling to average 20 points a night, and it's forcing the starters to play heavy minutes. This is part of the reason the injury list tends to change each game. Having Barlow back would be great reinforcement for the second unit. 

Barlow’s size would make a huge difference; he could use that, coupled with his offensive ability and rebounding, to be an absolute menace to opponents. Last year, Barlow showed promise as he logged in 23 minutes playing in 71 games, starting 59 of them. He averaged 7.7 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 1.2 assists. Now remember, this was done while Joel Embiid missed most of the season with an injury.   

He had a career game against the Los Angeles Clippers, scoring 26 points to go along with 16 rebounds. This is the kind of performance that Barlow can give you when he’s healthy. This proves just how deep this 76ers roster truly is. If Barlow can make his way back from injury, head coach Nick Nurse can use Barlow in a number of different ways. Barlow’s return would also boost this lackluster bench that has struggled to score. 

For a Philadelphia team that has gotten off to such a hot start, it’s truly scary when teams realize there are so many layers to this team. Barlow is just one of many players battling injuries, and if they can get him back, their weakest spot in terms of rebounding becomes a major strength.