The Sixer Sense
Fansided

5 Takeaways from Philadelphia 76ers’ Miami Heat game

By Kevin Kolodziej

Nov 21, 2016; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid (21) reacts as time winds down on a victory against the Miami Heat at Wells Fargo Center. The Philadelphia 76ers won 101-94. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 21, 2016; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid (21) reacts as time winds down on a victory against the Miami Heat at Wells Fargo Center. The Philadelphia 76ers won 101-94. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports /
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1 – Covington Needs to Get Out of His Own Head

It’s not exactly a secret that Robert Covington hasn’t been the most consistent 3-point shooter this year.

Over the first three years of his NBA career, he successfully made 36.3 of his behind-the-arc attempts. This season is a different story, and Monday’s tilt fit Covington’s recent mold.

He finished the game with 9 points on 4-of-13 shooting and was just 1-for-5 from 3-point range. Conveniently for him, the lone 3-pointer was the game’s biggest shot and put the Sixers up 96-91 with under three minutes to go in regulation.

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And that’s just it: Covington is a good shooter that isn’t shooting well right now. He’s simply in a slump, and if he continues to stick with it, good things will eventually happen.

As the saying goes: shooters gotta shoot.

Heading into Monday, Covington was shooting just 24.7-percent from 3-point land and 25.7-percent from the floor (down from 39.1-percent for his career).

Something has been wrong with his shot up to this point of the season, and more than likely, it’s mental, because we’ve all seen Covington be a successful shooter in the past.

Many sports fans in the City of Brotherly Love are comparing Covington’s early-season woes to Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver Nelson Agholor. This comparison is not fair.

Agholor is a 2nd-year player who hasn’t really done much throughout his career, while Covington is a fourth-year 37-percent 3-point shooter.

As noted above, we’ve seen Covington produce in the past on a fairly regular basis, and I suspect he’ll be back shooting above the 35-percent mark on 3-pointers sooner rather than later.

Covington was also second on the team with 9 rebounds on Monday night and contributed a team-high 3 steals.

Minus the shooting, he’s playing good basketball up to this point of the season.

Once he gets his head right and starts making shots more consistently, watch out.