Philadelphia 76ers: 5 goals for Robert Covington in 2017-18

3. Maintain elite defensive level

Covington’s physical makeup and instincts on the defensive end make for a lethal combination.

Last season, Covington led the league in deflections at 4.2 per game. With his 7’2″ wingspan, Covington’s ability to disrupt offenses with his length by getting into the passing lanes was one of the features of the Sixers’ defense last season.

He supplemented the deflections numbers by also recording 1.9 steals per game, which ranked fourth overall in the league. Also, Covington recorded a career high 1.0 blocks per game while registering a team high 2.9 3-point contests per game.

Over the season, Covington recorded four or more steals on eight occasions, including games in which he registered five steals. Furthermore, Covington was able to block two or more shots on 19 occasions, including a season-high five blocks against the New York Knicks.

But from a team perspective, the most notable numbers relating to Covington are the differences between him being on and off the court. Up until March 28, when he was sidelined for the remainder of the season with a knee injury, the Sixers had a defensive rating (points allowed per 100 possessions) of 103.3 when Covington was on the floor, equivalent to the fifth-best defense over the course of last season.

However, this number ballooned to 109.0 when he was off the court, which would have ranked 26th in the league.

So despite the influx of talent at the Sixers’ disposal this season, Covington’s defensive impact cannot be undervalued.