The Sixer Sense
Fansided

Three Reasons Philadelphia 76ers Robert Covington Starts 2017-2018 Season

By Bret Stuter

Mar 26, 2017; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Philadelphia 76ers forward Robert Covington (33) shoots the ball while Indiana Pacers guard Jeff Teague (44) defends in the first quarter of the game at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. The Indiana Pacers beat the Philadelphia 76ers 107-94. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 26, 2017; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Philadelphia 76ers forward Robert Covington (33) shoots the ball while Indiana Pacers guard Jeff Teague (44) defends in the first quarter of the game at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. The Indiana Pacers beat the Philadelphia 76ers 107-94. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
4 of 5
Next
Mar 3, 2017; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia 76ers guard Justin Anderson (23) and forward Robert Covington (33) react after blocking a shot by the New York Knicks during the second quarter at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 3, 2017; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia 76ers guard Justin Anderson (23) and forward Robert Covington (33) react after blocking a shot by the New York Knicks during the second quarter at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports /

III. Veteran Panache

When you look at the Philadelphia 76ers roster, you may see NBA veterans on the list. But if they are well-seasoned in the NBA, you can bet then had played on another team.  The current Philadelphia 76ers roster is chalk full of youth.

Around the same time we began to tout the much improved defense of Covington, NBA.com’s Ian Thomsen wrote an excellent piece about the unsung heroics of Robert Covington.  In a word: Leadership.

Thomsen had an excellent quote from head coach Brett Brown on this very point:

"“He is emerging to be a good leader. He has been with me enough where he can share a story. He can say, ‘We don’t do it like that here. That’s not what we do.’ The reason he is becoming a more respected voice is because he guards."

A respected voice. Let’s just pin that to the side for now and come back to it in a moment.  For now, let’s focus on other strengths of a veteran on this team.  Things like cool-headed under pressure for example.   In fact, the slumping Robert Covington addressed his missing shots in the best way possible. He kept shooting.  Despite boos and comments, he pressed on. Eventually, the shot came back.    He earned plenty of teammates’ respect through that.