According to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, the San Antonio Spurs will not make a qualifying offer to rising interior star Dominick Barlow, meaning Barlow will become a full free agent when free agency market opens.
In this season's NBA regular season, Barlow played a total of 33 games for the team, averaging 12.7 minutes per game, averaging 4.4 points, 3.4 rebounds, 1.1 assists, 0.4 steals, 0.4 blocks, and 0.3 turnovers, shooting 49.6% from the field, 33.3% from three-point range, and 69% from the free throw line. In fact, Barlow's performance in the middle of the season still has certain highlights, and Barlow, who has gained a lot of playing time, has shown a more comprehensive individual ability, he can score under the basket on the offensive end, and he also has a certain amount of mid-to-distance shooting, and his scoring means are actually relatively rich. Barlow can also have a relatively large area of coverage on the defensive end. Considering that Barlow is only 21 years old, he actually has a lot of potential to tap. Barlow looks a bit of a smaller version of Victor Wembanyama, who can provide a lot of support on both ends of the floor.
Barlow's performance is still somewhat competitive, but due to the limitation of playing time, it seems that his stats are relatively dismal, and he also has a strong dominance in the NBA Development League. We didn't expect the Spurs to be so bizarre in their operation, and instead of making a qualification offer for Barlow, it was a bit surprising that they made him a full free agent. It's even more incomprehensible considering that the Spurs have even made a qualifying offer for David Duke, who is on a two-way contract this season. No matter how you look at it, Barlow should be a player with the potential of Jiaotong University to be tapped, and it is obviously a little premature for him to be abandoned at this stage, which seems a pity.
Of course, this isn't necessarily bad news for Barlow himself. In his two seasons at Spurs, Barlow's performances have had some bright spots, but it is clear that he has not received enough trust and support. The team's coaching staff seems to prefer to use several other interior players, who have limited support for Barlow and are not particularly recognizant of his abilities. If Barlow can find a new contract from another team, he may have the opportunity to get more minutes and a higher tactical position, and his performance and stats will improve even further. Or at least at the Spurs, even if he stays with the team, it will be difficult for him to have a chance to make a bigger breakthrough. Would this be a good thing for his own career?