Robert Covington: Deserving Of More Credit

On the Philadelphia 76ers roster, it’s pretty hard to go unnoticed. With a plethora of fans, and dedicated fans at that, most of the Sixers fan base has the roster memorized, and once the starting lineup is finalized, most will be able to also rattle off those five players in their sleep. Robert Covington is likely to be one of those five.

Covington is one of the only “in pen” (instead of pencil) players on the lineup right now, alongside Jahlil Okafor and Nerlens Noel. The backcourt is an absolute mess with players falling to injury left and right. I think he’s been lost in our minds this offseason, and he’s one of the underrated players that could really make an impact on the offense this season.

It’s easy to see why he was overlooked. The point guard issues, the anticipation of the new front court, and the loss of Joel Embiid for yet another season were all the main talks of the offseason. Covington though, he brings something to the table, and it may be more than what we expected.

Now, don’t go expecting Covington to score 25+ points per game, that’s not what I’m trying to claim here. He’s not that good yet, trust me. But I do think he’s better than most people give him credit for, or better than he is usually acknowledged as.

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It doesn’t help that his career was kicked off with a lack of minutes provided for him during his time with the Houston Rockets. With just 4.9 minutes per game offered to him, he only scored 2.3 points per game, which is to be expected from a player not getting much time and experience on the court.

Coming to the Sixers, things got better as far as minutes, playing 27.9 per game. He was able to score 13.5 points per game, and make himself somewhat of a three point threat shooting 37.4% from beyond the arc. His impact was noticeable, but still, somewhat quiet.

In the first preseason game on Tuesday night against the Washington Wizards, that’s more of what we saw from Covington. Covington’s +/- on the game was a -4, fifth best on the team, and not a terrible showing considering the Sixers lost by over 30 points.

Although he only scored eight points in 25 minutes, there was still that same quiet impact from Covington that we saw last year. Two blocks, three assists, and six rebounds were other components of his game and what he contributed.

I don’t mean “quiet” to say that his performance and contribution is small, in fact, I am trying to say quite the opposite. What I’m saying is that he has a significant impact, but for some reason, he flies under most radars, and his significant impact isn’t seen for what it really is, and what its deserving of being seen as.

Covington hung out around the three point line and was able to make himself a threat, hitting 50% (2/4) of his shots from beyond the arc on Tuesday. When he didn’t have an opportunity, he often dumped the ball down low to Okafor, where he had a good chance for a post shot.

Covington is a rising star for the Sixers, and often gets shoved under the carpet because of how much attention the rest of the starting positions have gotten lately. Covington will continue to work hard despite this, and as fans, I think we owe it to Covington to pay attention to him. It will be tempting as the season unfolds to talk only about Okafor, Noel, and whoever the heck is taking the starting point guard position, but I encourage you all to not forget about the quiet, yet solid part of the Sixers roster–Robert Covington.

Next: Takeaways From The Philadelphia 76ers First Preseason Game

Robert Covington: The Underrated Sixers Player

By Josh Wilson | Oct 8, 2015

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