7 X-factors who could shape the 2020-21 NBA season

2. Robert Covington

It’s always been an either/or situation the Portland Trail Blazers have faced when filling out their two forward spots alongside Damian Lillard, CJ McCollum and Jusuf Nurkic.

Al-Farouq Aminu and Mo Harkless brought defensive stability but shrunk the court at the other end with a lack of 3-point shooting. Guys like Rodney Hood and Carmelo Anthony make life easier for Portland’s potent scoring backcourt but don’t cover for their woes that arise when trying to slow the opposition.

Enter Robert Covington, the best of both words acquired via trade from Houston over the offseason.

Though he shot just 31.5 percent from three as a Rocket, the combination of volume (7.6 attempts per game) and reputation (career 35.6 percent outside shooter) has Covington carve out significant space for his teammates.

Covington isn’t the point-of-attack defender so many reputable names at that end are. He’s more of a disruptor, a scheme buster who uses his 7’2” wingspan to get into passing lanes (eighth in deflections per game) and contest 3-pointers (opponents shot 3.8 percent worse from distance with RoCo as the closest defender).

Portland will take any type of defensive assistance it can get coming off a bottom-five defense from a season ago. Perhaps Covington’s time as the tallest Rocket on the court inspires Terry Stotts to experiment with some smaller lineups of his own.

After years of dragging their forwards from behind, Lillard and Co. finally have one who can keep pace at both ends. Who knows if that missing 3-and-D wing is enough to wreak havoc on the hierarchy of the Western Conference. All we can assume is that the presence of Covington gives Portland its best bet to try.