Dominick Barlow has best game of season in Spurs win over Warriors

San Antonio Spurs big man Dominick Barlow had a great game in their win over the Golden State Warriors.

On Saturday, the San Antonio Spurs were without Victor Wembanyama and Devin Vassell, leaving them at a significant disadvantage against the Golden State Warriors. And while the Warriors were without Stephen Curry, that still left the Spurs short-handed against a better team fighting for a playoff spot.

Luckily for the Spurs, they had multiple players step up in a big way. Keldon Johnson, Jeremy Sochan, and Malaki Branham all put up 20-point performances, leading the Spurs to a huge win over the Warriors. And on top of that, big man Dominick Barlow had what may have been his best game of the season.

The Spurs’ official YouTube channel posted a video documenting his performance.

Barlow finished the game with 19 points, eight rebounds, four assists, one steal, and one block while shooting 7-of-10 from the field and 0-of-1 from beyond the three-point arc.

San Antonio converted Barlow from a two-way contract to a standard deal this season.

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Woj: San Antonio to convert Dominick Barlow to standard NBA contract

A 6-foot-9 swingman who is still just 20 years old, Barlow has flashed hints he may have untapped upside.

It seems that the San Antonio Spurs front office likes what they have seen so far this season from Spurs two way power forward Dominick Barlow. ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reports that the “San Antonio Spurs are converting two way (forward) Dominick Barlow to a standard NBA contract” for the rest of the 2023-24 NBA season.

“Barlow — undrafted in 2022 — has played 51 games in his two Spurs seasons,” adds Woj of the Overtime Elite alumnus. This season with San Antonio, Barlow has been putting up 4.6 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 1.1 assists per game in 13.3 minutes of floor time per game with the Spurs.

A 6-foot-9 swingman who is still just 20 years old, Barlow has flashed hints he may have untapped upside, hitting 42.9% from beyond the arc on very limited attempts this season.

His free throw percentage — a career 67.8% — suggests there is still plenty of work yet to be done in that regard, but has shown signs of improvement when shooting from beyond 10 feet from the basket this season.

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Four San Antonio Spurs see ratings updated for NBA 2K24

A number of San Antonio players saw their ratings changed in the latest granular assessment of play in the league.

Now that the NBA’s trade deadline and 2024 All-Star Week are behind fans of the San Antonio Spurs, they can turn their attention to the news that really matters for the rest of the season (at least, to the gamers, anyway) — the arrival of a new set of NBA 2K24 overall player ratings for the Spurs.

A number of San Antonio players saw their ratings changed in the latest granular assessment of play in the league for the popular basketball simulation game, and most of them were positive. A total of four such players were updated, with three of the four seeing rises.

Let’s take a look at which players, and how they were assessed in this update.

Spurs’ Dominick Barlow discusses passion for NBA journey

San Antonio Spurs big man Dominick Barlow believes everyone in the NBA should have a passion for basketball.

For guys like Victor Wembanyama, the journey to the NBA is clear. The San Antonio Spurs rookie has been on the radar of NBA teams for years. He was the consensus first overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft, and the Spurs organization cheered the day they won the right to select him.

However, not everyone gets to have an easy journey like Wembanyama. Take Dominick Barlow, for example. The 20-year-old big man went undrafted and had to scrap and claw to get to where he is right now. He’s playing very well for the Austin Spurs this season and got to take part in the G League Up Next mini-tournament at All-Star weekend.

He recently spoke about his love for basketball and how he feels as though everyone should have the same passion. (H/t Tom Osborn of the San Antonio Express-News)

“If you don’t have a purpose and a passion for something and aren’t giving your all, you are just wasting your time,” Barlow said. “So many people, especially young people, are searching for what they want to do in life and it takes a long time for a lot of different people to find that. I was fortunate to find what I wanted to do at a young age and I try to take full advantage understanding I have a gift and a blessing. I don’t want to waste it.”

Barlow is on a two-way contract for the Spurs, and he could be a part of their future if he plays his cards right.

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Dominick Barlow reflects on path to NBA career with Spurs

San Antonio Spurs two-way big man Dominick Barlow recently detailed his journey to the NBA.

The San Antonio Spurs have been in the news all season long. Despite having one of the worst records in the NBA, the presence of Victor Wembanyama has been enough for them to garner a ton of media attention, as everyone wants to watch the 20-year-old Frenchman during his first season in the league.

And while Wembanyama is sure to have a long, fun career, there are some other players on the Spurs who deserve positive media attention, too. There are the more obvious ones, like Devin Vassell and Jeremy Sochan, but behind every NBA player, there is a great story.

Spurs two-way big man Dominick Barlow recently detailed his journey in an interview with Isabella DiAmore of the Philadelphia Inquirer.

“Respect to my younger self, like if you saw me now just knowing that I made a promise to myself of getting to the NBA and I stuck with it,” Barlow said. “Being able to stay the course while dealing with COVID, going underrecruited, and having to go through all that stuff made me stronger mentally.”

The NBA was always a dream, but Barlow didn’t believe it until he got there.

“I probably would have thought I would be a college student right now,” Barlow said. “The NBA is like a dream; it almost doesn’t feel real sometimes. My friends remind me sometimes and put perspective in me — I’m grateful for that.”

While he may not be getting a ton of minutes for the Spurs, he’s shown some real promise, and his story is undoubtedly awesome.

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‘Baffling’ that Spurs got Dominick Barlow on two-way contract

The San Antonio Spurs got a steal by bringing back Dominick Barlow on a two-way contract.

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The San Antonio Spurs made a bunch of moves this summer, though none captured the media quite like their selection of Victor Wembanyama. And while the Frenchman will undoubtedly be the face of the Spurs franchise for years to come, they were active outside of the draft this offseason, too.

One of the other moves the Spurs made was bringing back Dominick Barlow, who was a restricted free agent after they extended him a qualifying offer. San Antonio managed to bring back Barlow, who had a phenomenal Summer League stint, on a two-way contract, much to the surprise of Sam Vecenie of The Athletic.

During a recent edition of his podcast, the Game Theory Podcast, Vecenie spoke about how shocked he was that no teams offered Barlow a standard NBA deal (or even a deal worth more than the minimum).

How big of a leap will Barlow take in his second season with the Spurs?

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Report: Spurs sign Dominick Barlow to two-way contract

Report: Spurs sign Dominick Barlow to two-way contract

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The San Antonio Spurs are bringing back big man Dominick Barlow on a two-way contract for next season, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN. Barlow spent this past season in San Antonio on a two-way, and the Spurs picked up his qualifying offer at the beginning of the summer, making him a restricted free agent.

The 20-year-old appeared in 28 games for the Spurs in his rookie season, playing 14.6 minutes per contest. He averaged 3.9 points and 3.6 rebounds while shooting 53.5% from the field. However, in Summer League this year, Barlow was seriously impressive, to the point where some believed he should be elevated to a standard deal with San Antonio heading into next year.

In four Summer League appearances, Barlow averaged 17.0 points, 8.3 rebounds, 2.0 assists, and 1.3 blocks per game while shooting 62.5% from the field.

The 6-foot-9 center looked comfortable on the court, and at times, he looked like one of those players who was simply too good for Summer League.

He may be a bit undersized for the center position, but his strong frame makes up for it, and alongside Victor Wembanyama and Jeremy Sochan, he provides the Spurs with another high-upside young big man.

If he can continue to improve on the defensive end, he could be a legitimate rotation guy for the Spurs moving forward. The fact that they were able to bring him back on a two-way contract instead of a standard NBA deal is impressive.

Barlow is still super young, and based on the talent he showed in Summer League, he should be able to carve out a long NBA career for himself.

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Spurs’ Dominick Barlow looked like ‘whole new player’ at Summer League

San Antonio Spurs big man Dominick Barlow looked great during Summer League.

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Last season, the San Antonio Spurs were one of the worst teams in the league. But this summer, that all changed, as they were able to select Victor Wembanyama with the first pick in the 2023 NBA Draft, completely changing the future outlook of their franchise. The 19-year-old is already a superstar.

But he’s not the only player on their roster, and at Summer League, they were able to take a look at some of the other young talent they will be surrounding Wembanyama with. And while some players fell flat, big man Dominick Barlow showed out, proving that he’s worthy of an NBA contract.

According to Marilyn Dubinski of Pounding the Rock, Barlow looked like “a whole new player” at Summer League, as he struggled a bit during his time with the Spurs this past season.

“I’ll go with Dominick Barlow. He looked so lost on an NBA court for the majority of last season but seemed like a whole new player at Summer League,” Dubinski wrote. “Yes, the competition level is different in Vegas, but I didn’t expect him to come out and tear up the court the way he did. He has made his case to be on a guaranteed NBA contract, and hopefully that comes with the Spurs. Runner-up would be Julian Champagnie, who already had a guaranteed contract coming in but more than justified the Spurs’ decision.”

In four Summer League appearances, Barlow put up 17.0 points, 8.3 rebounds, 2.0 assists, and 1.3 blocks per contest while shooting 62.5% from the floor.

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Spurs big man Dominick Barlow ‘should be on a standard NBA deal’

San Antonio Spurs big man Dominick Barlow has been playing so well at Summer League that some believe he should be on a standard NBA deal.

For the San Antonio Spurs, Summer League was all about Victor Wembanyama. At least, that’s what one would assume from the outside looking in. The spotlight was on Wembanyama at all times, to the point where fans packed the house for his debut and made it feel like a regular season game.

But he’s not the only player on the team. For the Spurs, Summer League not only provided them a chance to watch their new superstar play but also a chance to take a look at the youngsters who could be playing alongside him moving forward into the future. Guys like Malaki Branham and Julian Champagnie played well, but Dominick Barlow stood out.

Barlow, who is currently a restricted free agent, was so good that Keith Smith of Spotrac believes that he should be on a standard NBA contract.

“Dominick Barlow should be on a standard NBA deal,” Smith wrote. “He’s got a lot of talent. Barlow played well when given chances toward the end of last season, and he’s been terrific in Summer League. It’s unclear if the Spurs will have a standard spot, so he might have to take another two-way deal, but he’s better than that.”

Through four Summer League appearances, Barlow has averaged 17.0 points, 8.3 rebounds, 2.0 assists, and 1.3 blocks per game while shooting 62.5% from the field.

If the Spurs want to sign him to a standard contract, they would have to cut some players, but it might be worth it, as the 20-year-old big man is clearly an NBA-level talent.

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Spurs’ rookies banding together during first training camp run

Jeremy Sochan said that training camp has been a bit easier alongside several other rookie players.

San Antonio Spurs forward Jeremy Sochan this week said training camp has been a bit easier to start going through it alongside several other rookie players.

The Spurs enter the season as the third-youngest team in the NBA and will integrate six rookies into the mix after a busy offseason. The average age of the team is 24.5 years old, behind only the Orlando Magic (24.1) and Oklahoma City Thunder (23.7).

The team has three first-round picks: Sochan (ninth), Malaki Branham (20th) and Blake Wesley (25th). The Spurs also signed undrafted rookies Jordan Hall and Dominick Barlow to two-way contracts. They have Tommy Kuhse on a non-guaranteed deal.

Sochan likes that there are other rookies on the team.

I think that is a factor that helps being around people that are in the same boat as you, people that want to grow, as well. I think that helps. We all say it’s a process so I think having people in the same process is going to make it a lot easier.

The team tipped off training camp on Tuesday as the group had its first opportunity to hit the court together. The coaching staff threw a great deal at the team on the first day in an effort to get everyone caught up ahead of their first preseason game on Sunday.

Wesley said the rookies enjoyed their first practice.

As the rookie class, it was good for me, Malaki, Jeremy, etc. Just getting a feel for it on the first day and learning a lot of stuff. Everything isn’t going to be perfect on the first day, that’s why we have a whole week to learn. Overall, it went good and we all enjoyed it.

The Spurs became even younger over the offseason by trading Dejounte Murray to the Atlanta Hawks. The move further signaled that the team is all-in on building toward the future, despite earning a place in the play-in tournament last season.

Gregg Popovich, the NBA’s all-time winningest head coach, delivered a classic line when asked about the team’s goals for the upcoming season as only he could.

Nobody here should go to Vegas with the thought of betting on us to win the championship. It is probably not going to happen but that’s not the point and very honestly I couldn’t care less. The point is to develop this group and give them the best possible opportunity to have long NBA careers and enjoy the hell out of it.

San Antonio will continue its rebuild this year under a Hall of Fame head coach. The team has established its developmental program as one of the best in the league and looks to continue that tradition this season with another group of rookies.

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