The Sixer Sense
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Robert Covington Should Be The Philadelphia 76ers Sixth Man

By Lucas Johnson

Feb 15, 2017; Boston, MA, USA; Philadelphia 76ers forward Robert Covington (33) reacts to a referee call in game against the Boston Celtics in the second half at TD Garden. The Celtics defeated the 76ers 116-108. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 15, 2017; Boston, MA, USA; Philadelphia 76ers forward Robert Covington (33) reacts to a referee call in game against the Boston Celtics in the second half at TD Garden. The Celtics defeated the 76ers 116-108. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports /
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Robert Covington has been a fixture in the Philadelphia 76ers starting lineup. As the team improves moving him to the bench is the best for the team.

Most Philadelphia 76ers fans will be enraged by the notion of moving Robert Covington to a sixth man role. Covington has proven to be a quality starter and could start for at least half the teams currently in the NBA. Then why would head coach Brett Brown even consider moving the versitile forward to the bench? There are several answers to this, including Ben Simmons‘ and Dario Saric‘s future roles, who the Sixers draft, and the teams current depth.

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Roles of Cornerstone Forwards

There has been a lot of debate of what exactly Simmons’ role will be once the first overall pick makes his debut. Is he a pure point guard or is he a point-forward? The Sixer Sense writer Josh Wilson wrote an article explaining Brown’s uncertainty about Simmons playing point guard. In the article Wilson quoted a CSN Philly article where Brown’s uncertainty is made clear.

"“‘I have this vision that I want to pursue with him as a point guard,’ Brown said. ‘Nobody can promise that I’m right. I don’t know either. But I think from what I have studied from truly his childhood, and high school and LSU, I feel confident that we should try this and look at it. ‘”"

If there is no certainty with the head coach that Simmons will be a pure point guard, then I will air on the side of Simmons developing into a point forward. With that in mind, Simmons will be delegated to the small forward or power forward position based on who else would start next to him in the front court. With Joel Embiid almost for certain to start at center next year that would leave either Covington or Saric as that would fill the other forward slot.

Saric does not have the shooting and spacing as of now that Covington does, however, he does have a star potential that Covington does not. He showed this potential after the All-star break once Embiid was ruled out and Ersan Ilyasova was traded. According to his stats splits on ESPN, he averaged, 17.3 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 3.4 assists. The only down part, during that same span he shot 28.1 percent from the arc. He will most likely improve in the coming year on his three point shot. Personally, I think he can continue to develop and thrive as a starter more than coming off the bench.

Who The Sixers Pick Matters

With Simmons and Saric locked into both forward positions, it is still not impossible for the Covington to start. He is a very versatile defender, ranking fourth in steals. However, if the Philadelphia 76ers draft a player like Malik Monk, which very well could happen then that becomes a problem for Covington. Monk is a shooting guard and with the Sixers pick most likely landing in the top five it’s hard to see him not starting right away. The Sixers could go point guard as well with a wealth of them to choose from, so that still does not close the door on him completely either.

Must Read: 2017 NBA Mock Draft 1.0, Vol. 2

The Weakness at Depth

Even if the Sixer’s draft does not close the door on Covington starting, the weakness of the bench most likely will. The Sixers still have developing shooting guards in Nik Stauskas and Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot, the latter of which showed a lot of promise at the end of this past season.

The Sixers do lack depth at both small forward and power forward. With Covington’s defensive versatility, ability to score, and stretch the floor, he could sub in for both Simmons and Saric. As the sub for both he could get the similar about of playing time that he has in years past. He would also be playing against weaker defenders so his shooting percentage should improve as well. He has the defensive impact and scoring ability to become a Sixth Man of the Year candidate for the Philadelphia 76ers.

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Brett Brown is known for his tinkering with lineups so it would not be surprising to see Covington off the bench at least a few times next season. However, having a 3-and-D specialist coming off the bench on a regular basis could be just what the Philadelphia 76ers need to make a strong playoff push.