Philadelphia 76ers: Draft Position Could Determine Robert Covington’s Future
By Simon Smith
The Philadelphia 76ers are again set to have a significant presence on the upcoming draft. The decisions they make could have a large impact on the future of forward Robert Covington.
The upcoming NBA draft could determine the future on an undrafted player. That’s the possibility facing the Philadelphia 76ers and small forward Robert Covington.
Bryan Colangelo, the Sixers’ president of basketball operations, finds himself in an enviable position thanks to the diligent work carried out by his predecessor, Sam Hinkie.
First of all, the Sixers have the right to swap first-round draft picks with the Sacramento Kings due to a previous transaction carried out by Hinkie.
To say that the trade significantly favored the Sixers is an understatement. Currently, the Kings have the 25th-best record in the league, while the Sixers are ranked 26th.
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Another work of genius from Hinkie was a three-team, trade deadline deal made during the 2014-15 season. The result was the Sixers received a top-three protected 2017 first-round pick from the Los Angeles Lakers (via the Phoenix Suns).
Philadelphia 76ers
So if the balls bounce fortuitously at the May 16 draft lottery, the Sixers could potentially have two draft selections inside the top four. And with the level of talent available at this stage of the draft, it could make things interesting for Colangelo and his planning moving forward.
One avenue that the Sixers may need to explore is the future of Covington. With a team option on Covington’s current contract for next season, a decision on his future with the Sixers may be hastened following this year’s draft.
With a combination of the Sixers’ cap availability this summer, the quality of draft picks and Covington’s uncertain contractual status could very well see Colangelo making a hard decision.
Currently, Covington is in arguably the best stretch of his career. Over his past 16 games, Covington is averaging 17.1 points, 7.8 rebounds and 2.3 steals in 33.3 minutes per game.
Impressively, he has shot 41.1 percent from three and 87.4 percent from the free-throw line during this time. Also, his 46 three-pointers made during this span is ranked tied for ninth-most in the league over that stretch.
Furthermore, the Sixers recently acquired swingman Justin Anderson from the Mavericks in the trade deadline deal involving center Nerlens Noel.
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A 2015 first-round pick, Anderson has the ability to switch between the 2 and 3 spots and provide a combination of athleticism, defensive prowess and scoring punch.
Under contract until the end of the 2017-18 season and with a team option for the following season, Anderson’s presence could ease the burden if Covington were to depart.
The upcoming draft class is seen by many as possibly the strongest in a decade. And the cream of the crop of this draft features an assortment of point guards, shooting guards and small forwards.
Presently the Sixers have committed to having Ben Simmons starting as their point guard from next season. Therefore, it’s most likely that the Sixers would target players fitting the position currently filled by Covington.
Based on last summer’s free-agency bonanza, Covington appears to set to strike it rich once he becomes an unrestricted free agent. As Sixers’ head coach Brett Brown recently stated:
"“He will be rewarded.”"
The decision facing Colangelo, Brown and Co. will not be an easy one. Having developed Covington over the past three seasons after plucking him from the D-League, the natural inclination would to follow through with this development and re-sign Covington on a long-term deal.
Having said that, Covington is 26 and a career 39.2 percent shooter from the field. And while Covington’s versatility on defense is a much valued commodity for the Sixers, he has never cracked the 40 percent mark from the field in his three seasons in Philadelphia.
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So it’s a real possibility that the outcome of the ping-pong balls on May 16 could determine the future of Covington in a Sixers’ jersey.