Philadelphia 76ers: Former players that would have helped this team, Part 1

Robert Covington

Traded to the Houston Rockets with very little reluctance from the Minnesota Timberwolves, the Sixers missed out on the chance for a Robert Covington reunion at the trade deadline. That’s not to say they didn’t try, but the price appeared to be a tad too steep, (Houston really gave away Clint Capela and a first-rounder!). 

As difficult as it is to bring up, Covington was playing some of his best basketball with the Rockets before the league suspension. He was averaging 2.5 blocks per game, and a career-high in rebounds with 7.9. But the reality is, developing in the Sixers’ defensive-minded system respectfully built him into that monster.

During Covington’s four-year spell in Philly, the league was watching firmly at what kind of player he was, and what he brought to the table on a nightly basis. While the Sixers lost countless games because of his streaky scoring, he did provide what every NBA team currently yearns for – a prototypical 3-and-D wing.

A defensive dynamo, he averaged 1.6 steals in his Philadelphia 76ers career and shot 36.4 percent from beyond the arc.

The thought of him playing the three or four in a lineup with Embiid, Simmons, Harris and Josh Richardson can obviously be thrown out the window, but an interesting hypothetical, to say the least.