Covington a sure shot for 76ers
PHILADELPHIA >> In March 2009, John Cooper took the head coaching job at Tennessee State. Then, he took a chance on a lanky kid from Chicago.
Cooper had seven scholarships available for his first recruiting class with the Tigers. When he watched Robert Covington play, he saw “a 6-foot-7 shooter that was maybe 175 pounds soaking wet.” But Cooper knew he had to have him on his roster.
“We had time on our side,” Cooper said, “and I knew his shooting would bring value to our program.”
Cooper’s words sound an awful lot like 76ers coach Brett Brown’s, when referencing Covington. Shooting the ball was the identifiable skill Covington had going for him. It was how he earned a Division I college scholarship, how he made the NBA, and how he’s been able to stick with the Sixers, who have shown that they aren’t exactly afraid to turn over their roster.
A third-year wing, Covington is mired in somewhat of a scoring drought lately. Before scoring 10 points Friday against the Lakers, he had gone seven games scoring in single digits, the longest-such stretch of his career. And over his last nine games, he’s barely shooting 30 percent from the field, and only 25 percent from 3-point distance.
But his consistent longrange shooting over the last two seasons lends legitimacy to the Sixers’ rebuilding process, that which allows them to take fliers on players who’ve been passed over by other teams.
Speaking of passed-over players, Covington’s middle school team cut him on three occasions. At Proviso West High School, in Hillside, Ill., the head-turning shooter earned only two college scholarships. One was to Tennessee State, with Cooper.
“If Robert got any look at the bucket, it was a good shot for him. That’s not always the case with every player, but it was for him,” said Cooper, now the head coach at Miami (Ohio). “Robert always had a green light for us.”
A fun-loving player on the court, Covington maintains that demeanor off it, too. That doesn’t mean he isn’t intense, Cooper said. He remembered a situation in a practice at Tennessee State, where Covington felt challenged by then-assistant coach Dana Ford.
“Dana was getting on Rob in a playful way, and I remember telling him, ‘Dana, you be nice to him. You remember that, buddy, when Rob makes it to the next level,’” Cooper said of Ford, his successor at Tennessee State. “Rob can be a quiet leader, at times, but he never backs down from a challenge.”
That much is true. Covington’s mettle has been tested regularly since his eligibility at Tennessee State expired. He signed a deal with Houston after going undrafted in 2013. He teetered back and forth with the Rockets, before settling in with their NBA D-League affiliate. At Rio Grande Valley, he earned a D-League All-Star invite and eventually was named 2014 DLeague Rookie of the Year. In November of that year, he signed a multiyear deal with the Sixers, and has been with Brown’s team ever since.
Brown mentioned Covington in a December press conference, at which the Sixers announced Brown’s contract extension. He labeled Covington as one of the reasons why the coach “can see daylight” in the team’s painfully slow rebuild.
“That meant a lot,” Covington said, of Brown’s nod to him. “When I got here, he preached a lot about being a team player and a guy who will work in the system. It’s working. You see what we’re doing. I’ve gotten better since I’ve been here. Being a part of that, being acknowledged for it, and seeing it for yourself, it’s a great compliment.
“I say everything happens for a reason. Taking the route I came from, it shows how resilient I am, how tough I am, and what I will do to go through adversity. I never looked down. I never counted myself out. I always knew I’d have a shot to show what I’m capable of.”
Covington and the Sixers return home tonight to begin a season-long six-game homestand, following their annual holiday road trip.
The Sixers (3-33) won twice on their six-game stint, which featured victories in Phoenix and Sacramento. The team is in a good place and is playing with more confidence after the Dec. 24 acquisition of point guard Ish Smith. Since the Sixers traded for Smith, they’re averaging more points per game (99.0) and shooting better (43.1 percent) than their season averages of 92.5 points and 42 percent.
Injury-wise, reserve shooting guard Hollis Thompson missed the last two games with a left-eye corneal abrasion. Brown told reporters that Thompson could be available Monday night against Minnesota (12-22).
Another sign of progress might have surfaced out of necessity. Brown is starting Nerlens Noel at center, after rookie center Jahlil Okafor missed two games due to right knee soreness. With Okafor coming in off the bench the last three games, Noel has seen spikes across his stat line. He’s shooting 28 points better over the last five games, and has bumped his per-game averages from 9.8 points and 7.8 rebounds to 16 points and 9.2 boards. And he’s looking like the defensive stalwart he had become last season, recording 2.4 steals and 2.2 blocks per game, compared to his season averages of 1.4 steals and 1.1 blocks.
The Sixers won’t hit the road again until Jan. 18, when they visit the New York Knicks.