Robert Covington’s Three-Point Prowess Deserves More Attention
Robert Covington has consistently been the Philadelphia 76ers’ most consistent three-point threat this season. That’s been true pretty much since Covington signed a contract with the team on November 15th. Even though Hollis Thompson leads the team in three-point percentage for the season at 39 percent, he was in the middle of a season-long slump before shooting 53.5 percent in February and 43.1 percent in March. Covington, on the other hand, has been much more consistent, holding steady between 36-40 percent throughout the season. He’s currently hitting 38.7 percent from beyond the arc, well above league average. He’s good. The end.
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At least, on the surface, that’s the end. Because there is much more to consider when it comes to Covington’s three-point effectiveness. Covington does pretty well at every facet of shooting threes, but in particular, he’s become a catch-and-shoot assassin, and that’s where he’s made his money for the 76ers.
Covington is shooting 40.7 percent on these catch-and-shoot looks for the season, via SportVU data. These account for almost half of his total shooting attempts, about 5.1 shots per game. That percentage ranks third among players with at least 5.0 attempts per game this season, trailing only two truly elite shooters – Kyle Korver and J.R. Smith. He’s generated 381 points on 301 catch-and-shoot threes this season. That’s outstanding.
Over his last 10 games, he’s been even better on more attempts, hitting 43.4 percent on 5.7 catch-and-shoot threes per game. This has come even as Covington’s seen a slight reduction in his offensive load (His usage has dropped from 23.1 percent in February to 22.4 percent in March), but catch-and-shoot shots are now 52.8 percent of his total attempts. Covington is realizing his effectiveness, and sacrificing other looks (including pull-up threes, which he’s hitting 31.9 percent on) in order to get more catch-and-shoot threes.
Covington is also really nicely balancing the floor for the 76ers. The 76ers this season have been decent shooting from outside on the left side of the floor:
Ignoring all the red from inside, the 76ers are shooting 34.5 percent from the left corner, and 33.7 percent from the left wing as a team. They don’t shoot so well from the right side, meaning that teams can load the left side of the perimeter against the Sixers’ offense – except when Covington is on the floor:
Covington is average from the left side of the floor, but LETHAL from the right, shooting 41.8 percent from the wing and 45.5 percent from the right corner. He’s at his best when he can spot up from the right side of the floor, taking advantage of setting up on the Sixers’ weak side and firing away when the ball is swung to him.
Covington’s three-point shooting is quite good, and he’s having one of the better three-point shooting seasons in the league. But when you consider the degree of difficulty for him, it makes the fact that he can be this effective even more impressive. The 76ers have had issues spacing the floor all season. Philadelphia is 28th in the league in three-point percentage, and a lot of that has been a dramatic increase since the beginning of the season, particularly in the last month or so, thanks to the addition of Isaiah Canaan, the emergence of Jerami Grant, and Hollis Thompson registering a pulse again.
Covington’s been consistent all season, even finding effectiveness when Michael Carter-Williams and Tony Wroten were hurling shots off the backboard as the team’s main backcourt. Covington has spent most of the season hitting threes without a ton of space, and even though his shooting percentages are far worse than other catch-and-shoot gunners, his season has almost been more impressive, in a way, due to not playing in more open offenses like Korver does on the Hawks or Smith does on the Cavs.
Thank god Sam Hinkie locked Covington up with a four-year deal in the beginning of the season. He’s been lighting it up from outside all season, has great size, with the ability to play small forward or small-ball four. Covington’s season has been quite impressive, and he deserves more attention as one of the 76ers’ most effective, and consistent, players.