Meet Robert Covington: The Philadelphia 76ers' Surprise Bright Spot in 2014-15
The Philadelphia 76ers have made a habit of collecting spare parts from across the Association in the name of rebuilding.
Remember names like Lorenzo Brown, Darius Johnson-Odom, Darius Morris, Daniel Orton, James Nunnally, Adonis Thomas, Jarvis Varnado and Casper Ware? Well, it'd be hard to blame you if you didn't.
For once, though, the Sixers appear to have struck gold. Since signing with Philadelphia in mid-November, sharpshooter Robert Covington has been a revelation for an offense that's functioned as the league's caboose in the efficiency department.
The 2014 NBA D-League Rookie of the Year, Covington averaged 23.2 points, 9.2 rebounds and 2.4 steals as a member of the Rio Grande Vipers a year ago. And while he appeared in seven games with the Houston Rockets last season, the combo-forward never topped 12 minutes in a single showing.
Simply put, Covington was garbage-time fodder for head coach Kevin McHale and not much else.
But in Philadelphia, the 24-year-old Tennessee State graduate has found new life. Thriving from beyond the arc, Covington is drilling a team-leading 43.3 percent of his attempts from deep. Additionally, Covington is one of 26 players this season's who's attempted at least 50 threes and converted better than 40 percent of them, per Basketball-Reference.
"With it being a new transition from the D-League to the NBA, [a lot of people] didn’t think I would [be successful] on this level," Covington said, according to NBA.com's Max Rappaport. "I always knew that I’d be in a position to be in the NBA one day, because I knew how my work ethic is, and everything I’ve been through I use as motivation to be who I am today."
Thus far, success hasn't strayed far from Covington's side.
In the 20 games he's appeared in, the Sixers have posted an offensive rating of 95.5 with Covington on the floor. And while that's far from a pristine mark, it's 4.4 points higher than the team's season-long total.
To put things in perspective, the Sixers are scoring a feeble 87.9 points per 100 possessions with him on the bench, according to NBA.com. If that tally spanned the course of an entire season, it would rank as the worst in league history by a solid four points and change, per Basketball-Reference.
And in the month of December, few shooters have been more lethal than Covington.
Entering Tuesday's showdown with the high-powered Golden State Warriors, Covington has canned 37 triples over the past 29 days, which ranks No. 8 overall during that span, per NBA.com. Furthermore, Covington has knocked down 44.6 percent of his attempts from distance during the final month of 2014, better than noted marksmen Klay Thompson, Damian Lillard and Stephen Curry.
Covington's also been particularly lethal in catch-and-shoot opportunities, which have accounted for nearly half of his offensive production to this point. Specifically, Covington is banging home 47.1 percent of his catch-and-shoot triples, per NBA.com. That's nearly a four percent bump from his overall mark of 43.3.
And as Sixers head coach Brett Brown noted, according to the Philadelphia Daily News' Bob Cooney, Covington's proficiency in catch-and-shoot situations has opened up a few more off-the-dribble looks as defenders have quickly learned to crowd him at the three-point line:
"He can do more than just shoot, because what he's done, and this is always the evolution of shooters, is taking that feared weapon and making a catch-and-go out of it. Because obvious scouting reports say don't let him catch-and-shoot or you have to be pretty close. They learn how to deal with that close space and drive stuff and invite fouls and not be afraid of contact. That's the thing that has surprised me, where he's got a little bit of that, too.
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So for once, the Sixers have some semblance of floor spacing and can threaten defenses with another weapon in transition.
Instead of watching Tony Wroten or Michael Carter-Williams consistently and recklessly barrel into the lane, the Sixers' primary ball-handlers can pitch back to Covington as a trailer in delayed transition and free him up for open opportunities from the top of the arc.
Covington's also displayed a knack for floating to the corners (41.6 percent shooting from those two spots) and knocking down quick looks when defenders are caught in bad rotations, as his NBA.com shot chart demonstrates:
Another key factor at play is Covington's ability to slot in at either forward position.
To date, Covington has played 50 percent of his minutes at the 3 and 45 percent at the 4, per Basketball-Reference. And when he's been matched up against power forwards, Covington has been noticeably more prolific.
According to 82games.com, Covington's effective field-goal percentage at the 4 is 16.4 points higher than at the 3. His player efficiency rating at the power forward spot also jumps by 6.2 points to 18.4 from a mark of 12.2.
A capable pick-and-pop weapon in 1-4 pick-and-rolls, Covington's presence has the ability to expand Philadelphia's offensive arsenal in encouraging new ways, as well. That's particularly true in the context of Philadelphia's most dependable unit, which features Carter-Williams, Covington and rookie KJ McDaniels.
"When we have two shooters on the floor, or our version of shooters, it really helps [Carter-Williams]," Brown said, according to Grantland's Zach Lowe.
To further Brown's point, Lowe examined the numbers to pinpoint just how effective that trio has been:
In fact, Philadelphia possesses just one five-man lineup (minimum 20 minutes played) with a positive net rating. According to NBA.com, when Carter-Williams, McDaniels, Covington, Luc Mbah a Moute and Nerlens Noel share the floor, the Sixers have posted a net rating of plus-20 and shot 52.5 percent from the field.
Which leaves us with a major question moving forward: Considering Covington, McDaniels and Carter-Williams have helped the Sixers resemble a half-decent NBA offense, wouldn't it behoove Brown to slot those two in on the wing in a starting five that generally features Mbah a Moute and either JaKarr Sampson or Hollis Thompson?
Since management has droned on and on about player development, it would make sense to give the team's best young talent a chance to jell for extended stretches, particularly if it comes at the expense of rotational also-rans.
And with Covington blossoming on a team-friendly deal, it's time for the Sixers to invest in one of the fine young talents they've been actually been able to cultivate from the D-League scrapheap.
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