Ky Carlin, Sixers WireTue, December 2, 2025 at 9:17 PM UTC·2 min readPHILADELPHIA -- As Philadelphia 76ers star Tyrese Maxey continues to morph and develop into one of the best scorers in the league, he is going to continue to face blitzes, double teams, and waves of defenders his way to try and slow him down.
On the season, Maxey is averaging 32.3 points while shooting 38.4% from deep. It hasn't mattered really what teams have tried, as the 6-year guard out of Kentucky has been terrific for Philadelphia on the offensive end.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementWhen teams do blitz him--which is often--then Maxey has safety valves. One of them is athletic forward Dominick Barlow who has made himself available off rolls. He then has the ball-handling and passing ability to either make plays at the basket to finish or get others an easy look.
"Just understanding that he's gonna see more blitzes," Barlow explained. "He's averaging 35 a game. So teams are going to be antsy to blitz early to make us beat them. I take pride in making the decisions out of that and playing 4-on-3. There's always going to be a guy open, so the quicker I can locate that, or the quicker if I'm the open guy, being able to attack the rim is going to help us."
Another way Barlow helps Maxey and the Sixers is with dribble handoffs. Barlow is somebody who can fake a DHO opportunity to Maxey, or whoever is the lead guard at that moment for Philadelphia, and he can attack the basket. He has done a good job of being able to finish at the basket while also being a playmaking threat as well.
"Like, spacing for sure," Barlow said of his DHO ability. "I mean, if there's a gap, try to punch it, but sometimes it's matchup-based. If I feel like I can drive and get a shoulder bump and be able to attack and still get to the rim. I’ll take that too. So it's kind of just a feel thing."
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementThe Sixers will look to Barlow to give them a big boost as time moves on and provide the depth needed to succeed.
This article originally appeared on Sixers Wire: Dominick Barlow taking pride in helping Tyrese Maxey attack blitzes
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