ATHENS ― The Hawks never can have too many scoring options.
On Tuesday, the team posted a video on social media of newly signed forward Dominick Barlow making several contested 3-point shots that sent his teammates into a frenzy.
“I think everybody was just excited to be back out there, everybody competing,” Barlow said. “So, I think just the juice was high there, and hopefully we continue that through (training) camp.”
The team signed Barlow to a two-way contract in July after he played 33 games (one start) during the 2023-24 season with the Spurs. The 21-year-old forward will enter his third season in the NBA, and the Hawks feel invested in his development.
Across his first two NBA seasons, Barlow averaged 4.2 points, 3.5 rebounds and one assist in 13.6 minutes on 51.3% shooting overall from the floor. He recorded a career-high 21-point, 19-rebound double-double April 9, 2023, during his rookie season to become the fifth rookie in Spurs history to register at least 20 points and 15 rebounds in a single game.
He’s had more success from midrange, where he takes roughly 40% of his shots. But he believes he has far more versatility.
Pre-draft scouts may agree after praising his ability to run in transition, as well as taking a rebound coast-to-coast. In the halfcourt, he can take slower bigs off the bounce and initiate the pick-and roll. They also pointed out that Barlow can act as the screen man because he can limit smaller guards on a switch or 3-pointer.
So, with a couple of days of training camp behind him, he can envision some of the ways that he can fit with the Hawks.
“By just doing a lot of little things — screening, hard, rolling hard, being able to hit that shot in the corner and then just guarding, I think will be my way to get on the court, for sure,” he said.
At 6-10, Barlow has the versatility to play minutes at not only power forward, but he adds depth at center after 90% of his playing time came at center. In the latter half of the season, the Hawks struggled with a lack of size at that position, when they lacked two centers at the same time for at least two games last season.
Though Barlow has had only two days of camp, he already can see and feel that he’s improved on a couple of things.
“Just a little bit like everything,” he said. “I just feel a little bit sharper coming here. Been getting the short roll. Trae (Young) likes to throw a lot of lobs, and it’s been a big emphasis. So just getting out of those rolls and slips like really quick has been something that I’ve improved on and just shooting every day. (My) shot feels good.”
Hawks coach Quin Snyder has taken notice of those subtle improvements.
“I’ll talk about mentioning that he’s catching lobs from Trae,” Snyder said. “Trae has the ability to help train his teammates. And when you’re incentivized in that way, someone like Dominick, he’s quick, you know, and he’s got a quick mind, in addition to having fast twitch.
“So, anytime, you get a player like that that can assimilate, (he) makes your practices better. And he’s someone you know from the developmental side that it’s fun to see those guys. He’s been in the gym. He’s working, and whether it’s his offense or his defense or what he does to the collective, is really good to have around.”
About the Author
