He wasn’t even selected in the Boomers’ 17-man squad, but two weeks away from the 2019 Basketball World Cup David Barlow received the call that he would be suiting up in the green and gold.
Deng Adel and Brock Motum were favourites to replace Jonah Bolden, but Barlow was the one chosen. His call up has raised many questions, but the forward can bring exactly what Lemanis requires.
An unsung motive to Barlow’s addition is his ability as one of the best on-ball screen defenders in the NBL. Motum and Adel would have only accentuated this major issue encountered against Canada.
“We kept coming around to his ability on the defensive end…to be able to switch and hold his own versus guards but also against bigs” pointed out Lemanis in the pre-USA media conference.
Barlow’s adds energy and disruption on the defensive end. In the NBL last season, he ranked in the 90th percentile for blocks, 78th percentile for defensive rebounding and 66th percentile for steals.
Add to this his range with Barlow shooting 43.1% from deep last season. Alternate replacement options cannot match this valuable skill factor that Barlow brings.
A focus on his three point shooting was evident in a training session leading up to the USA exhibition games. Barlow repeated a drill where he would trail the ball carrier for a quickfire three attempt. It is clear that, in whatever minutes he is able to manage, the coaching staff plan on giving him the shot they know he can hit.
Lemanis reinforced this, “he understands our offensive systems very well, he knows how to manipulate it – he was helping some of the guys on how to manipulate the offense.”
There is the reason that Barlow is in the squad as he was the most available player. Considering he is in Melbourne while Motum is overseas could very well be the reason he got the nod. We do not know whether Basketball Australia was willing to fund the costs involved with an overseas player.
Barlow was in consideration for the 17-man camp, even receiving a phone call from Lemanis when they went in another direction.
“When the squad was announced I rang him… He felt that we were paying attention to him” pointed out Lemanis.
With Barlow facing back issues, further doubts on his inclusion have been issued.
“I was a bit injury-riddled for a while there… I will work with the medical team and the coaching staff to assimilate as quickly as possible,” countered Barlow to questions on his fitness.
Lemanis expects this issue to be dealt with quickly if managed properly allowing Barlow to contribute soon. He did manage to make a short appearance in the second exhibition game against the USA.
Simply put, unlike some players, Barlow wants to be on the team.
“It’s been a crazy couple of days… It’s a dream come true for me” emphasized Barlow after his first training session.
Barlow and the Boomers open their World Cup campaign against Canada on 1 September before meeting Senegal and Lithuania. His minutes will come sparingly but he’ll look to make an impact anyway he can.