Does Sixers Forward Robert Covington Still Have Decent Trade Value?
The Sixers are watching Robert Covington struggle through his worst offensive season, but he continues to make plays on defense.
Robert Covington saw his reputation of beloved gem quickly fade to an ineffective shooter. With all the great defensive plays he makes, his offense continues to drag down the Sixers. It’s not due to a role change or injuries, Covington is simply not hitting open shots.
In fact, he has never shot this poorly in his entire professional career. Where he found his niche for this Sixers team was from the outside, with his length defending the perimeter being a sweetener to his game. That has since flipped on its head, as the main factor to Covington starting is now his ability to cut off passing lanes. The shooting has been far from a driving force to his game, which is disappointing considering his potential towards becoming a two-way player has seemed to not come together.
You’ll remember the main goal of the Sixers for Covington was to build up his value and find a favorable return for a low-cost asset. If that still is the goal under this new management, than they might find the market for him could be slightly smaller than expected headed into the season.
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The value of a good defensive wing player is still decently high, but teams still look for a relief on offense. Covington is in just the 10th percentile in both eFG% and TS%, not an attractive finding considering he was once the leading scorer for the Sixers. In my breakdown of his game from his early struggles, we see no change in shot selection or shot form, so we could naively pass it off to being a mental battle.
Even if that is the case, the fact is that Covington’s time as a premier scorer for the Sixers has come to an end. A change of scenery for him may spark a turnaround. But is there really a huge pull for a team to trade for Covington? A team that has struggled with wing play over the past few seasons have been the Los Angeles Clippers.
The Clippers are rolling with former Sixer Luc Mbah a Moute. Mbah a Moute has continued his reputation as a reliable defender that can shut down the perimeter, but has had little impact on offense. Even then, little offensive production comes efficiently. Shooting 42.5% from three-point range, Mbah a Moute has become an unspoken impact for the Clippers.
It would be hard to convince Doc Rivers to make a move for Covington that brings a high return to the situation’s standards. Another team that would have loved a Covington addition would have been the Milwuakee Bucks around the time Khris Middleton went down with an injury. That window has since closed with the additions of Michael Beasley and Tony Snell, and the emergence of the Bucks as a seemingly solidified playoff team.
The rest of the trade market will be relatively quiet. With a top heavy league setting up for an NBA Finals rematch, it’s an odd reality that a team could hold onto it’s cards to better themselves in other ways than risking assets for an unknown in Robert Covington. Last year could have been the time to maximize the value of Covington, as it seems the days where getting a first-round pick for him are quickly fading.
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The gem of the Sixers’ rebuild has found himself in a rough place, and the time for a turnaround is there. But Covington is falling far short from sustaining a starting role for the future on this team. He’s not a complete negative, but he certainly isn’t the positive force he once was. The window for a high value flip seems to be over for the Sixers.