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

2. Improve finishing close to the rim

Considering Covington’s length and athleticism, this aspect of his game would appear a mere formality. Unfortunately for him and the Sixers, this hasn’t been the case.

Last season, 34.7 percent of Covington’s total field goal attempts came within five feet of the time. His conversion rate of 53.1 percent, however, ranked 80th among all forwards who attempted at least 2.5 shots per game from within this range.

In fact, Covington struggled so mightily in this aspect of his game that he ranked 17th among all players who represented the Sixers over the course of last season.

As can be seen from the following scouting report from Draft Express, concerns about this aspect of Covington’s game date back his days at Tennessee State:

"“….despite his physical and athletic advantages at this level, he is not a very effective finisher inside the paint, making just 49% of his attempts around the basket in the halfcourt, and 31.8% of his attempts in post-up situations. “His lack of ideal strength, average toughness, raw footwork, and questionable touch around the basket raise a lot of question marks considering the level of competition he played against in the Ohio Valley conference.”"

Still just 26, Covington does have time to fill his body out and round out his inside game. But with the possibility of playing minutes at the 4-spot, he needs to get on top of this area sooner rather than later.