II Defense
Another basic principal of any player hoping to get significant minutes on a Brett Brown coached team is the need to have defensive acumen. And the goal of Brown when working with Robert Covington is developing his defense first.
It truly was not so long ago that anyone setting up at the perimeter could practically count on a season or even career high scoring opportunity. And we were quick to point out the deficiency.
But things changed.
Turn Around
But to our credit, we were one of the first to point out the incredible turnaround. Soon after, Sports Illustrated’s Jake Fischer wrote a great article about how Covington upped his defensive game to the high proficiency we now recognize and count on. Then, and most importantly, Covington became an NBA film critic. Watching and analyzing tendencies of the player he would next face.
"“I know I guard different people throughout the game, so you gotta know whoever is in front of you,” Covington said. “You can’t sit up there and guess on things.” – per interview with Jake Fischer"
It worked. Covington’s perimeter defense complimented the water-seal lockdown Joel Embiid imposed to anyone in the paint. But there is another piece to this puzzle, and perhaps the greatest of all.