Philadelphia 76ers: 5 goals for Robert Covington in 2017-18
By Simon Smith
5. Adjust to playing multiple positions
The Sixers’ offseason has seen an abundance of talent walk through the door.
Firstly, the Sixers were able to acquire the No. 1 overall selection in the 2017 NBA Draft via a trade with the Boston Celtics. As a result, they acquired guard Markelle Fultz, a multi-faceted guard who can excel both on and off the ball.
The Sixers were also busy in free agency by signing veterans J.J. Redick and Amir Johnson to one-year deals. Furthermore, the team finally gets to welcome Ben Simmons, the No. 1 overall selection for the 2016 draft. On top of the talent already on hand, this represents a plethora of options for head coach Brett Brown.
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Therefore, its highly likely that Covington is going to have to expand his repertoire away from just filling the 3-spot. One very real option moving forward is Covington playing extended minutes at the 4-spot.
Despite Dario Saric showing much promise as his rookie season progressed, an overall balance on the floor is going to be necessary. With a pair of rookies in Fultz and Simmons expected to be starters, this is going to test the limits of the Sixers defensively due to their complete lack of experience. While Redick is an 11-year veteran, he has never been renowned for his prowess on the defensive end of the court.
So it would not come as a surprise given these defensive uncertainties for Covington to slide over to the starting 4-spot. While at 215 pounds he would certainly be giving up significant size to some of the bigger players in the league, his versatility, combined with the presence of Embiid, should ensure this move isn’t out of the question.