Philadelphia 76ers Are Interested In Extending Robert Covington

After a strong 2016-17 campaign, Robert Covington appears to be in line for an extension with the Philadelphia 76ers.

With the salary cap set to take a sizable leap this offseason, Robert Covington figures to be one of the beneficiaries of those inflated contracts — and the Philadelphia 76ers could be the ones looking to cash in.

Per Michael Kaskey-Blomain of 97.3 ESPN FM, the Sixers are looking to extend Covington this offseason, as the 26-year-old is coming off his best two-way campaign to date.

The #sixers are interested in signing F Robert Covington to an extension this offseason, per source.
— Michael K-B (@therealmikekb) May 14, 2017

Covington’s on-court impact:

The former undrafted free agent out of Tennessee State was among the league leaders in deflections per game (just ask Bill Simmons), while his 1.9 steals per contest is far higher than your typical three man. He did that while blocking one shot per game as well.

What helped buoy Covington’s production, though, were the offensive strides he made throughout the course of the campaign. After a substandard start in terms of shooting, his percentages rocketed upwards during the second half of the season. Covington shot 26.7 percent from deep in December, yet seemed to regain his confidence a bit during January, which happened to be the Sixers’ most successful month thus far in the Brett Brown era.

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Covington shot 35.9 percent from deep that month, then managed to peak at a 39.1 percent clip during February. Assuming he’s able to sustain — and improve upon — his perimeter shooting moving forward, that type of floor spacing and defensive utility makes Covington an ideal piece to throw alongside Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons in the starting rotation.

This is a Sixers team that needs to build around their defense as well. With Embiid already proving to be one of the league’s more effective rim protectors, Philadelphia has a chance to shut opponents out at multiple levels if they construct their supporting cast correctly.

Ben Simmons, at 6-10, has shown the lateral mobility needed to switch onto the perimeter with ease, while his bounciness and strength around the basket makes him a prime threat in protecting the help side underneath. When putting him alongside a 6-9 Covington in the rotation, that allows the Sixers to go switch-heavy while still retaining the luxury of funneling everything towards the Embiid at the rim.

If they draft a player like Jonathan Isaac or Jayson Tatum — or even Markelle Fultz, whose wingspan eclipses 6-9 — their length becomes an even greater advantage on the defensive end of the floor.

It’s Covington’s defensive value that makes Dario Saric such a prime sixth man as well. While there as obvious benefits to running a player of Saric’s caliber in the starting unit on the offensive end, his playmaking could be better featured behind Simmons, rather than alongside him. Dario is also a poor defender, though, struggling with awareness on the perimeter and in rotations on that side of the ball. Starting Covington over him negates those problems.

The potential cap hit and the reasoning behind it:

In regards to how much Covington will likely make, that number may scare off some Sixer fans whose nature leans more conservative in the financial department. After Kent Bazemore received a 4 year, $70 million contract, Covington — whose value is similar, if not more pronounced on the defensive end — could approach, or surpass, such a number given the current state of the salary cap.

That would made Covington the highest paid player on the team for the time being, assuming that Philadelphia doesn’t sign a player of Kyle Lowry’s ilk for a heftier price. And while that seems like a bit much to throw at a 3-and-D guy who struggles to create his own offense, Covington’s value has most certainly earned him a substantial contract.

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In a league predicated on versatility, Covington’s ability to provide an irritant and a multi-positional defender is a major asset in Brett Brown’s rotation. He gives relief to the likes of Simmons or a potential draftee as somebody who can guard the opposition’s best player on a possession-by-possession basis, while his production on the other end — albeit limited — is a nice compliment to the other players projected to be on the floor alongside him.

He’s also an above average rebounder, something that — when combined with Simmons and Embiid’s prowess in that department — could make the Sixers one of the league’s more proficient rebounding teams in the coming years.

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Covington’s presence is the glue that holds Philadelphia’s rotation together, and letting him walk in the midst of a salary cap boom would be a clear mistake for Bryan Colangelo and company. His grit and attitude has always been a positive force both on and off the court, while his improved play on both sides of the ball makes him more than capable of starting for a competitive team.

That’s why the Sixers are interested in retaining his services.