Philadelphia 76ers: Is Robert Covington the Sixers most important player?

One of the highlights of the Philadelphia 76ers rebuilding process has been the development of Robert Covington. But how important is he to their success?

Robert Covington is the most important player in the Philadelphia 76ers starting five.

I know this may be a bold statement but bear with me.

After being plucked out of obscurity by former general manager Sam Hinkie, Covington has developed from an afterthought bench piece to a legitimate starting caliber forward for the Sixers. His combination of size, speed and athleticism has awarded the team with a uniquely athletic chess piece who can play multiple positions across the court.

Equally as comfortable playing shooting guard as he is playing power forward, when Covington’s shot is landing he’s one of the best around.

If the 76ers can continue to get the most out of their 6-foot-9 small forward, it’ll go a long way in not only solidifying their starting five but also establishing the team as a serious playoff contender.

Lockdown Defender

Covington finished last season as the NBA’s top defensive small forward, ranking in above notable wing defenders like Kawhi Leonard, LeBron James, and Kevin Durant.

While it obviously won’t show up on a stats sheet, Brett Brown often chooses to put Covington on the opposing team’s best offensive player, anyone from a speedy point guard like Kyrie Irving to a 7-foot-3 unicorn like Kristaps Porzingis and tasks him with shadowing that player for the entire evening. To turn in a top-ranked season when facing off against offensive powerhouses on a game-in, game-out basis should be commended, and so far this season, Covington has rolled over his defensive success into the 2017-2018 season.

On the 76ers’ new, position-flexible roster, having a player who can cover a point guards one game and a power forward in the next is a major asset and is absolutely paramount to Ben Simmons development as a franchise caliber player.

With Covington on the court, Simmons will not be forced into bad matchups for the majority of a game, and can instead stay close to the basket where his rebounding skills can be best utilized.

While Simmons and Joel Embiid are objectively better players, RoCo is the lynchpin of the Coach Brown’s defense and is paramount to the success of their mismatched starting lineup.

New Found Offense for the Philadelphia 76ers

While Covington is known for his defensive game, when he’s playing well on the offensive side of the ball, he makes the 76ers one of the most dangerous teams in the entire league.

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After only completing a disappointing 33-percent of his three-point shots last season, Covington has finally honed his crafted and solidified himself as one of the leagues premier 3-and-D players.

Over a nine-game sample size, the former undrafted free agent from Tennessee State has made an astonishing 49.3-percent of his 65 three-point attempts and has become one of Simmons’ go to shooters when he’s looking to bail one a drive when the paint gets clogged.

While it’s unlikely that RoCo will be able to sustain this level of success over a full 82-game season, if the 6-foot-9 do-it-all forward can finish the season having shot 40-percent from three, it will surely show up in the team’s win total and could solidify their place in the postseason.

And if Covington can put it all together, it’ll not only help the 76ers now but also for years to come.

Big Extension Bob?

According to a report by David Aldridge, the 76ers have all but completed an extension for their wing defender, in a deal that could come as soon as November 15th. While not much is known about the specific details of the deal, it’s within the realm of possibilities to assume that it’ll fall somewhere between the four-year, $50 deals signed by T.J. Warren and Solomon Hill and the four-year, $70 million deals signed by Evan Turner, Allen Crabbe and Bismack Biyombo over the last few offseasons.

Even though it’s admittedly crazy to see numbers like that thrown around for players who are far from All-Stars, that’s the going rate for starting caliber players in the current NBA, and out of that group Covington probably brings the most complete skillset to the table.

Regardless of the contract Covington receives from the 76ers, he has proven himself to be a true diamond in the rough of the process-era, and finding a 3-and-D all-defense player in the G-League is like winning the lottery.