Apr 13, 2015; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Milwaukee Bucks guard Michael Carter-Williams (5) protects the ball as he drives past Philadelphia 76ers forward Robert Covington (33) during the first quarter at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
Robert Covington is another one of those misfit toys finding his way with the troubled Sixers. Even so, we’re happy to have him, especially with how he caught our eye last year.
Covington offered 13.5 points per game, something the Sixers need more of on the offensive side of the ball. The team struggled as a whole with scoring last year, and Covington was one of he forced pushing to change that.
Covington only started in about half of the team’s game last season. It looks like it’s his time to shine, and his time to get some more starts, which will obviously open up windows for him.
That nearly ten minute long highlight video has ten minutes of Covington gold, but you don’t need to watch any further than the first play shown to get a taste of what Covington showed us last year. Sometimes, you just can’t show things with statistics, and the fun style of play Covington gives us isn’t really a number we can flash on a screen (besides a 10 in a slam dunk competition). Covington can power through the lane well despite contact, and make himself open for lobs and layups.
Working lobs for dunks that are fun to watch is just one of the qualities that makes Covington an exciting player for next season. His three point game, where he shot 37.4% from last season, is something to get excited about, because that was an improvement from last season. If he can keep getting that better, and pushing that closer to 40%, he could quickly become the Sixers version of Kyle Korver.
He’s also a pretty decent catch-and-shoot guy from beyond the arc, which is good to have.
One last thing that should get us excited about Covington is his youth, and all the time he has to grow as a player. Last year was his second year in the league, but he only played a grand total of 34 minutes in his rookie year. He made a huge splash with his first opportunity at minutes, and is deserving of even more this season. I can’t wait to see what Covington grows into.
Next: Tony Wroten