Philadelphia 76ers: Robert Covington A Focal Point?

The Philadelphia 76ers are a franchise lacking many things: a point guard, veteran leadership, adequate talent throughout, and most notably, a go-to scorer for an offense that ranked next to dead last in 2014-15 with 92 points per contest.

The point guard situation was mildly addressed over the offseason and the Sixers now have a worthwhile contingent of floor general options, but there’s no franchise point guard in sight yet, while Philly’s veteran presence diminished even further.

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And despite still lacking a bonafide go-to guy, the Sixers will have a few capable options shouldering the scoring load this season, one coming in the form of third-year forward Robert Covington.

Outside of The City of Brotherly Love, Covington’s name isn’t one that likely resonates with too many folks. His first year as a pro was spent in the D-League, along with seven NBA sightings with the Houston Rockets.

But as last season was nearing its debut, what can be argued as the best possible outcome for Covington’s young career came about when the tanking Sixers acquired the small forward prospect from Houston.

Fast-forward to the following preseason and Covington is no longer that prospect joining his second NBA team before reaching double-digit outings, but an established weapon in for a heightened role, potentially as a go-to scorer.

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Despite only averaging 13.5 points in Philly last season, Covington finished the year as the Sixers’ active scoring leader, considering Tony Wroten’s 16.9 per night was sidelined after 30 games due to a partially torn ACL, while Michael Carter-Williams’ 15 points per game was dealt to Milwaukee at the trade deadline.

Once the Sixers two highest volume shooters were either out of town or sidelined, Covington became the offensive focal point, leading Philadelphia in scoring in two of the final three months of the season, averaging 16 per in February and 18.3 in April.

This wasn’t necessarily a breakthrough for Covington, who compiled 15.3 points per game in December behind MCW and Wroten, but that freedom throughout the final three months of the season noticeably served as a confidence builder and comfort within his role in Philly.

But even as a third option behind the aforementioned guards, Covington was anything but passive as a shot heaver nearly all season – excluding November, he attempted at least 10.5 shots per game each month.

As a result of Philly utilizing his shooting touch, Covington’s increased opportunities as a spot-up, perimeter threat lead to the 6’9” forward’s 33 percent execution rate on spot up jumpers ranking higher than Kawhi Leonard (25.3%), Kevin Love (24.3%), and Klay Thompson (15.8%).

Also worth noting: Covington finished 10th in the NBA in three-pointers made (167) and attempted (446), along with ranking 12th in “catch and shoot” total points with 438, while playing fewer games than the 11 players ahead of him, per stats.nba.com.

Point being, given the appropriate opportunities and freedom, Covington’s early indications suggests he can become one of the league’s premier sharpshooters, and for the Sixers, that means points; desperately needed points, at that. For example, Covington’s 13.5 points per last season came about through 27.9 minutes a night.

When Covington saw 28-plus minutes, which he did 43 out of 70 games, his scoring numbers jumped to 15.8 per game. Of course, that’s not an eye-popping improvement by any means, but for a guy that was basically a rookie with Philly in 2014-15, it signifies the scoring punch he can provide after an offseason of improvement and an established role on the wing.

So how does this all play into Covington emerging in 2015-16?

Obviously, the Sixers don’t have a proven go-to weapon offensively, although, many hope and expect rookie big man Jahlil Okafor to fill that role. And there’s certainly no reason to count Wroten out as a potential scoring headliner in Philly, as he did last season prior to his injury.

And considering Wroten may be in for a job as the starting point guard, that could indicate increased offensive production, as I recently noted in a piece breaking down the Sixers point guard situation:

"“Wroten handled the starting point guard duties in eight of his 30 games last season, which came due to Carter-Williams’ injuries. In those eight outings, Wroten compiled 22.5 points per game, along with 6.8 assists, and although it’s a staggeringly small sample size, the numbers nearly rival Stephen Curry’s 2012-13 averages of 22.9 points and 6.9 assists.”"

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Between the touches Okafor is sure to get, along with the points Wroten will certainly find for himself as a high-volume shot heaver and the offensive improvements guys like Nerlens Noel, Isaiah Canaan and Jerami Grant could display, it would be difficult for any Sixer to solidify himself as the true go-to guy.

But considering his touch from deep and willingness to heave from downtown, as 59 percent of his total looks last season came from the perimeter, Covington’s ability to stretch the floor, in both the half court setting and in transition, will be invaluable for an often stagnant Sixers offense, especially considering a lack of spacing wont mean well for Noel and Okafor.

Thus far, that’s proving to be true, and consequently, Covington has led the Sixers in scoring per game with 14.3, doing so in 26 minutes per game over the first three outings.

Whether that time as the headliner translates to the regular season remains to be seen, but it’s certainly a strong indication of the progress and emphasis Covington has made on taking his scoring game to the next level.

Although Wroten and Okafor are the favorites to lead the Sixers in scoring, there’s little question that Covington will grow into a focal point for Philly, and if Covington has, in fact, taken a step forward in his progression over the offseason, it may be hard to keep the 25-year-old out of the high teens this season.

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Philadelphia 76ers: Robert Covington Becoming An Offensive Focal Point?

By Cody Daniel | Oct 13, 2015

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