There’s no wrong answer in Andrew Wiggins, Robert Covington debate

When it comes to the debate over Andrew Wiggins and Philadelphia 76ers swingman Robert Covington, comparing them in a vacuum is almost useless.

Philadelphia 76ers fans found themselves in the middle of a new debate Sunday evening, with Robert Covington v.s. Andrew Wiggins becoming one of the more hotly contested discussions since ESPN ranked Covington several spots ahead of Carmelo Anthony in their annual Top 100.

The inherent difficulty of accurate player comparisons makes it almost impossible to find a resolution here. Certain people will lean heavily towards Wiggins, while others will lean towards Covington for completely different reasons. They’re stylistically opposed, and their value is almost entirely situational.

Philadelphia 76ers

That’s why it’s important to look at player comps through a situational lens. Wiggins may have more value than Covington in one situation, yet be totally outclassed in another. It’s about the makeup of the team around them and the role they’re asked to fill — not the raw basketball talent.

Purely in terms of skill, Wiggins probably holds the edge. He has all the athletic tools you can ask for in a premier wing, while his isolation prowess and general growth as a scorer give him innate value as somebody who’s capable of carrying an offense when needed.

Covington’s impact is more nuanced, with stellar defense and a well-defined offensive role highlighting his game. His productivity is rooted in a handful of different facets, but he fills that niche with extreme effectiveness.

On a team like Philadelphia, Covington brings more value than Wiggins would. With running heavily through Ben Simmons and geared towards getting Joel Embiid good looks at the rim, another isolation-heavy scorer who struggles with inefficiency wouldn’t do much good on the wing. Wiggins would also be a defensive liability, something that Brett Brown might not be able to cover up well early on given the youth that would be placed around him.

The opposite could be argued for Minnesota. Prior to the Jimmy Butler trade, the Wolves’ offense was set up in a way that leaned heavily on Wiggins and Karl-Anthony Towns for the team’s scoring. The drew up plays for the sole purpose of setting up Wiggins in isolation. Covington isn’t built to carry the load as a team’s No. 2 option.

That comes to fruition statistically as well. Wiggins averaged 23.6 points per game last season, which is a gaudy total for any 22-year-old. Covington only tallied 12.9, but was playing a notably smaller role in an offense that, without Embiid for two-thirds of the season, was in a constant state of change.

In terms of win shares, Wiggins generated 3.3 on the offensive end — as opposed to a clean zero from Covington. On the defensive end, however, Covington generated 3.2, with Wiggins accumulating 0.9 in total. Their value is felt on different ends of the floor, which helps emphasize the importance of evaluating players situationally.

There’s also a difference in polish between Wiggins and Covington, which blurs the lines in this debate even more so. Wiggins doesn’t defend well and struggles with decision making at times, but those are areas of his game he should be able to fix in the coming years. He’s still finding out where his game does and doesn’t fit with Minnesota’s plan, whereas Covington has already settled into a role he’ll carry for the foreseeable future.

Covington could very well be more productive on a consistent basis, but Wiggins has potential that shows up in flashes Covington simply can’t match. It’s a matter of peaks and valleys, and determining where each players’ average production fleshes out.

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If Wiggins’ progression continues at it’s current trajectory, this won’t be a debate for much longer. As for right now, it’s all dependent on the situation they’re placed into.

Stats c/o Basketball Reference.