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When the Portland Trail Blazers acquired Robert Covington from the Houston Rockets, it was their first offseason move. Covington is the exact type of player the Blazers have needed for years now, theoretically delivering top-notch defense, solid outside shooting, and high IQ basketball at both ends of the floor. These are the kinds of qualities that every team in the NBA desires on its wings.
But the results were mixed to start the season for Covington, especially on the attacking side. He averages his lowest point total since his rookie season and shoots an abysmal 31.4% from the field, including 30.1% from three. On top of that, he didn’t exactly fix Portland’s defensive issues, with the team currently 26th in defense.
Covington wasn’t going to solve all of the Blazers’ problems, but after about a month of playing basketball it certainly wasn’t Covington’s most hoped-for start. So, should Blazers fans be worried about the wing, or will he be able to right the ship? Let’s break it down.
The most disturbing thing was the offense. He has built a reputation as a low-use catch-and-shoot type that rarely does the wrong thing. He’s a nearly 36% out of three shooter for his career and at several points he has finished top of the league. league in three attempts to catch up.
This year has been just plain bad. Most of Covington’s shots are catch-and-shoot – 65.7% of his attempts were recorded as such – but he doesn’t do them at a high rate. He’s only made 30.3% of his lines in these situations and is just under 30% on all of his catch attempts.
When you have a player as talented as Damian Lillard, his gravity is so great that he naturally attracts defenders with his mere presence on the pitch. Anyone who’s watched the Blazers has seen Lillard’s doubles team opponents as high as they are in the midfield, so having guys who can consistently knock down shots when they’re open is essential. If Covington and his company don’t make these open plans, then it’s just another Aminu-Harkless situation. The teams will gladly send home to Lillard and CJ McCollum in the playoffs if Covington continues to fight three-way.
The problem isn’t just that Covington is fighting three; it is because he struggles everywhere. Covington notoriously shoots almost exclusively from threes, but he doesn’t take advantage of his opportunities up close when they arise. He only made 32% of his shots within 10 feet.
One of the great things about Covington is that he’s a little used guy who throughout his career has been able to capitalize on the few opportunities he gets throughout a game. If he doesn’t, he’s not an effective low-use player; he’s just a non-factor. Covington needs to start capitalizing on those three openings he gets.
Since we’ve been talking about all the really bad things with Covington on the offensive end, let’s talk about one good thing he does: he’s a great reactionary playmaker. Covington rarely makes the wrong decision when the ball is in his hands. He’s only averaging 1.7 assists per game, but he’s capable of giving solid assists to guys on the go.
This is the kind of action I would love to see more from Portland, even though apparently NOBODY can throw a decent lob pass on this team. Still, Covington does a great job of wrapping that ball around Marc Gasol to find an open Derrick Jones Jr. for the easy dunk. When Portland has guys cutting from the baseline with the ball in the hands of a good point guard, good things usually happen.
Covington not only uses his quick hands to get the flight, but he’s pretty comfortable with the ball in his hands to bring the ball onto the pitch and initiate the offense. He makes a smooth rebound pass to Lillard for the bucket. It’s a huge advantage – especially for a team without CJ McCollum for at least a month – if Covington can bring the ball back and play.
Here’s another play that follows the familiar formula of (solid defensive play) + (Covington doing the correct reading to Jones) = easy money for Portland. When Covington is on the move, he’s smart with the ball. He’s always been overall negative on offense, but that’s a bright spot to take from his first month in Portland.
Notice how the last two transition games were started by the heads-up defense. While the squad weren’t exactly great defensively, Covington did pretty much exactly what he always does. Covington is an extremely smart aide and a team defender who is almost always right where you need him to be. There’s a reason Covington ranked first in the league in deflections in 2017-18 and was second in total deflections last year. This year, he’s currently eighth in total deflections and averages 1.2 interceptions per fight, more than anyone on the Blazers last season.
This compilation pretty much covers everything Covington has done on the defensive end. He uses his quick hands to slide the ball out of the opponent’s hands, constantly gets in front of defenders to protect the rim, and poses an overall threat on the floor. No one on the Blazers last year besides Gary Trent Jr. played with that kind of defensive energy, and Trent is more limited than Covington just in size.
Team defense was something this team really needed, but that was never going to solve everything. Covington and Derrick Jones, Jr. are certainly defensive upgrades, but neither are true lockdown advocates. It’s a great add-on, but not the valiant that every team desires. How can Portland use it in a way that boosts defense?
One thing the Blazers should consider doing more of is playing Covington down center. Back in Houston with the Rockets microbeads, Covington has rightfully become one of the best rim guards in the league. He’s averaging 2.2 blocks per game in Houston as a 6’8 ” center while also collecting 1.6 steals a game. These are great blocking numbers for any center, not to mention one playing with a team where you are about three inches shorter than your average stance height.
With Jusuf Nurkic out for at least eight weeks, options are limited in the center of defense. Enes Kanter hasn’t been that great when he’s played alongside other solid defenders (he’s had five blocks against the Hawks!), But he’s still a very poor defender overall. Harry Giles is a very energetic presence, but he also struggles defensively with that matador style of defense, just letting the guys pass instead of protecting the rim.
Putting Covington in the middle would probably mean a formation that looks like Lillard-Trent-Hood-Jones-Covington. With McCollum and Nurkic for the foreseeable future, these are Portland’s top five players right now (assuming Hood can play like he did against San Antonio). Combining that small-ball lineup with a frenzied new pace that Portland seems comfortable playing seems like the best lineup option for the Blazers.
No matter what Terry Stotts tries to do, it’s essential that Covington finds his shot and starts contributing more to the offense. The defense has been solid on his part individually. He did pretty much exactly what he needed for that purpose last month, and his impact can be even greater if Stotts plays the lineup right.
But what has killed Portland every year in the playoffs for what seems like an eternity is not having someone on the wing knowledgeable enough on offense to hit open shots when needed. Blazer fans don’t need to watch a rerun of what has happened in recent years; they are ready for something new. Covington has to step it up to that end if the Blazers are serious about doing anything this year.
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