Our exit interview series of the 2024 Clippers continues with former forward, Robert Covington.

Basic Information

Height: 6’7

Weight: 210 pounds

Position: Power Forward

Age: 33

Years in NBA: 11

Key Clippers Regular Season Stats: 3.0 points, 2.3 assists, 2.7 rebounds, 2.0 steals, 0.7 blocks, and 0 turnovers in 23 minutes per game across 3 games played (3 starts) on 33.3/25/50.0 (2.7 3PA and 0.7 FTA attempts) shooting splits (45.5 True Shooting)

Expectations

Coming into the season, it was expected – and hoped for – that RoCo would play a bigger role for the 2024 Clippers than he had for the 2023 Clippers and their disastrous misuse of him. With Marcus Morris on the outs, Nic Batum aging, and no major moves over the summer to add a true forward, RoCo was projected to be the primary backup or even the starter at power forward. In that role, the expectations were for him to bring his usual, unique blend of off-ball and help-defense, rebounding, and three-point shooting, along with the occasional questionable decision on offense and slow-footed on-ball defense.

Reality

It feels like a lifetime ago now, but Robert Covington was in fact named the starter at power forward to open up the season. He started only three games, however, before the James Harden occurred, and RoCo was sent back to Philadelphia, where his career blossomed all those years ago.

Covington was immediately part of Nick Nurse’s rotation, though he played mostly off the bench, and actually filled a similar role to his 2023 campaign on the Clippers, albeit with fewer DNP-CDs. His defense was still a huge part of the Sixers’ early season success, as he somehow averaged 1.3 steals per game in just 16.1 minutes for Philly. The offense, as always, was hit or miss, but the impact was there in all the advanced stats, as always.

Unfortunately, RoCo was diagnosed with a knee injury on December 30… and just never returned. Eventually, the injury was set as a bone bruise, which are extremely painful, and RoCo just could not return to the court. Every time he seemed close, inflammation would come up again, and he’d have to return to inactivity. Thus, RoCo played in just 26 games for the Sixers, missing the last 50 contests of the season as well as the playoffs.

Future with Clippers

RoCo is going to be 34 in December, and missing half the season with a nebulous knee injury is a bad sign. He was effective when he was on the court last season, so he could definitely still make an NBA roster, but that’s no guarantee now. I hope he does, because it would be a shame if last season was his last time on an NBA court.

As for a return to the Clippers… that seems unlikely with Ty Lue and this current front office and coaching staff still in place. It’s not impossible, as the Clippers could use a veteran, playable power forward – and missed the kind of things RoCo brought to the table. Still, his 2023 season would seem to loom large in a potential reunion. It’s too bad RoCo never really got to make a large impact on the Clippers, and his legacy with the team will be more about the flaws of the organization and coaching staff than anything else.

2024 Clippers Exit Interview: Robert Covington
Robert Flom

Our player preview series for the 2024 Clippers season continues with under-utilized backup forward Robert Covington.

Basic Information

Height: 6’7”

Weight: 209 pounds

Position: Small Forward/Power Forward

Age: 32

Years in NBA: 10

Key Stats: Averaged 6.0 points, 3.5 rebounds, 1.2 assists and 0.8 steals in 16.2 minutes per game across 48 games on 44.5/39.7/75 shooting splits.

Contract Status: Final year of a two-year, $24 million contract.

Expectations

It’s tough to know what to expect from Robert Covington in this 2024 season, as he was squeezed out of the rotation last year in favor of Marcus Morris Sr. and Nicolas Batum and didn’t play all that much. While Batum is back this season, it’s unclear what Morris’ status with the Clippers is. He was included in the botched deal that would have netted Malcolm Brogdon and there’s been no word as to what the team’s plans are for him.

The Clippers also brought in KJ Martin, who figures to see plenty of time at power forward. Clippers fans were clamoring for Covington to see playing time last season but that never materialized. It just seems like Tyronn Lue trusts other guys over Covington. It’s just hard to pinpoint what to expect considering how last season went. We’ll need to see preseason games before getting a clearer picture of how Covington will be used, but Clippers fans should tame their expectations for Covington to start off.

Strengths

Covington is among the best off-ball defensive players in the NBA. He has some of the quickest hands in the league, disrupting passes and getting his hands on loose balls. He’s a fairly good rebounder for his size as well. His size allows him to play either forward position and he can also play a little five in certain small-ball lineups.

He’s been a pretty solid three-point shooter as well. He’s not going to be creating much offense for himself, but as a spot up guy off the catch, he’s consistent. This past season, he played the second lowest minutes in his career since his rookie year, but still managed to shoot nearly 40 percent from three-point range on decent volume.

Weaknesses

While Covington’s off-ball defense remains effective, he’s never truly been a particularly strong on-ball defender. He also isn’t much of a shot creator either for himself or for his teammates.

Overall though, Covington understands his role and he does his job well. Whatever weaknesses he has should be masked by the rest of the talent around him.

Summary

Covington seemed a likely candidate to be traded at some point during the offseason but nothing ever materialized. Despite inconsistent minutes and lack of a defined role, he’s been one of the best teammates on the roster and has never once outright complained about anything. It’s hard to gauge how much he could help this team seeing as how he wasn’t given much of a chance last season.

He seemingly has a skill-set that could certainly help the Clippers, it’s just up to the coaching staff to find the best way to effectively utilize him. He’s heading into a contract year and will hit unrestricted free agency in the 2024 offseason. Based on his past history, and even in the limited minutes from last year, it’s worth a shot to see how effective he can be in a healthy lineup.

Clippers 2023-24 Season Preview: Robert Covington
David Yapkowitz

Our exit interview series of the 2023 Clippers moves along with a look at the most underutilized Clipper of the season, Robert Covington.

Basic Information

Height: 6’7

Weight: 210 pounds

Position: Power Forward/Center

Age: 32

Years in NBA: 10

Key Regular Season Stats: 6.0 points, 1.2 assists, 3.5 rebounds, 0.8 steals, 0.7 blocks, and 0.7 turnovers in 16.2 minutes per game across 48 games played (zero starts) on 44.5/39.7/75.0 (2.8 3PA and 0.8 FTA attempts) shooting splits (58.4% True Shooting)

Postseason Stats: 2 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 block, and 0 points (0-3 shooting) in 12 minutes across two games played

Expectations

Everyone knew that the quarter-season Robert Covington had in 2022 for the Clippers could not be replicated in 2023 from a shooting standpoint, but there was great optimism that the rest of it could be. Robert Covington has always brought elite off-ball and help defense, solid rebounding, and high-volume three-point shooting while hitting at least an acceptable rate, which combines to make for a very effective role player. There was no real reason to think Robert Covington couldn’t continue offering those things to the 2023 Clippers.

From a roster perspective, there was some worry that Robert Covington would be squeezed for minutes alongside the Clippers’ two longer-tenured veteran forwards, Marcus Morris and Nic Batum. But the thought was that RoCo would serve as the Clippers’ backup center (as they didn’t roster a traditional backup big man), and that the age of all three forwards plus the load management of other players such as Kawhi Leonard would result in a good allocation of minutes for all guys. The logjam seemed to be more at guard rather than forward, especially with Moses Brown as the only other “true center” on the roster behind Ivica Zubac.

Reality

Things did not go according to plan. Robert Covington did start off as the backup center for the 2023 Clippers, and did well enough in an individual perspective in that role to start the season. The Clippers, as a whole, however, were not playing well, especially on offense. Then, in the sixth game of the season, Robert Covington was put into health and safety protocols, missing four games. The Clippers went 3-1 in his absence (albeit against the Rockets twice and Spurs once), and Terance Mann played very well as the backup power forward. Thus, RoCo abruptly found himself out of the rotation, and played minimal minutes or received Did Not Play, Coaches Decision (DNP-CD) marks for most of November.

At the end of November, with the Clippers wallowing in mediocrity and dealing other injuries, RoCo was put back into the rotation, and again, while his individual play was fine, in an eight game stretch where he received real rotation minutes in six, the Clippers went 3-5, with two of the wins coming in games he didn’t play. And thus, RoCo exited the rotation once more for most of December.

Finally, in early January, with the Clippers struggling mightily, Ty Lue shook up the rotation, moving Terance Mann back to the starting unit and RoCo back into the lineup. RoCo played in 10 of 11 games between January 6 and January 26, including nine straight, and was quite effective. The Clippers went 6-3 in that stretch, which considering the density and opposition quality was fairly solid. RoCo himself had a positive +/- in nine of those 10 games in which he played.

At that point, the Clippers got healthier, then made moves at the trade deadline, and RoCo faded out of the rotation once more. In fact, Covington would not fully gain a spot back until the tail end of the regular season, when Marcus Morris was mercifully benched after a dismal showing against the Pelicans. RoCo then played in six of the last seven games of the season, and was a massive contributor to maybe the Clippers’ best win of the entire year on the road in Memphis without Kawhi or Paul George.

The playoffs rolled around, and RoCo was once again nowhere to be found. He played less than four minutes in Game 3 in an all-bench unit, recording a rebound, a block, and a missed three. He then played just over eight minutes in Game 4, with two assists, a rebound, and a couple missed threes (and some rough one-on-one defense on a sizzling Kevin Durant). He then ended the season on a DNP-CD, a fitting conclusion.

Unfortunately, Ty Lue’s coaching of Robert Covington for the 2023 Clippers season is one of the most inexplicable of any player in recent Clippers history. Covington, a veteran who had started 460 of the prior 537 NBA games in his career, received zero starts. His 16.2 minutes per game was also by far the lowest since his rookie season in 2014, with his next lowest being his 2022 season where he averaged 27.3. He logged dozens of DNP-CDs, and 15 of his 48 games played he received fewer than 10 minutes. If you discount garbage time, that number would be a bit higher. He played in over 30 minutes in just three games.

Nor was Robert Covington bad in the games he did actually play. On the contrary, his help and off-ball defense remained as good as ever, with a ridiculous 1.8 steals and 1.5 blocks per 36 minutes. Despite some streakiness, RoCo also ended the season shooting 39.7% from three. He attempted 8.6 threes per 100 possessions, more than Marcus Morris and just under Nic Batum. RoCo averaged 10.4 rebounds per 100 possessions, 5^th most on the team and most of any non-big man, pulling in 1.8 more than Nic Batum and an astonishing 3.5 more than Marcus Morris. Every advanced metric had him as a better player than Morris, and most had him as a more impactful player than Batum.

Taking a wider approach, for his career, there’s really not much an argument that Morris has ever been a better player in any season than Covington (outside of his abbreviated rookie campaign). And, considering the main argument in favor of Morris was “three-point shooting”, Covington had made 1190 threes coming into this season to Morris’ 1140, with percentages being very close as well.

Look, there’s no question that Marcus Morris is a better shot creator than Robert Covington. Robert Covington is also not a particularly good on-ball defender at this point in his career. He’s by no means a perfect player. But Morris was awful at both creation and on-ball defense this year, so even though he was relatively better at shot creation, his doing it hurt the team more than having someone who would have just moved the ball. Covington is a better rebounder and help defender, and equal as a three-point shooter. Funnily enough, Covington actually looked quicker with the ball in his hands attacking closeouts than Morris, getting to the line at a higher rate and having a higher assist percentage with some surprisingly nice dimes.

In the end, do I think playing Robert Covington a lot more would have “saved” this season? No, I don’t. There were much deeper issues to this Clippers’ team than that. However, Robert Covington was a (much) better player than Morris this year, yet played around 40% of the minutes that Morris did. The Clippers never really even attempted to work Covington into their rotation outside of the beginning of the season and a stretch in January, and considering Covington’s pedigree, that’s simply inexcusable. The most glaring indictment on RoCo’s usage this season is that we don’t even know if RoCo would have worked on this particular team with the Clippers’ stars – because he was never really tried.

The Clippers could excuse RoCo’s playing time all they want with “wanting offense” or “wanting shooting”, but the answer is that Ty Lue played favorites with “his guy” in Marcus Morris, and it cost the team wins. For a coach noted for experimentation, Ty Lue did not do so with a player that everyone thought would be a key piece to this team, and there remains no good reason why. To quote Succession: “Alas Ty Lue, alas vanity.”

Bonus Succession quote: me to the 2023 Clippers, “You are not serious people”.

Future with Clippers

It’s hard to imagine Robert Covington being on the Clippers’ roster next season with Ty Lue as the coach and with a mostly unchanged roster. If the Clippers are going to run it back and pick around the edges, trading a player with an expiring contract that other teams will value more than you is a logical move. If the Clippers do try to make big moves, Covington’s contract is a great filler piece to add. Really, the only way RoCo might come back is if the Clippers move both of their other veteran power forwards and/or if Ty Lue is no longer the head coach.

If RoCo is moved, he will probably always be fondly remembered as a Clipper, even if he didn’t log a full season’s worth of games played with the franchise. He’s at a point in the aging curve where relying on him to be a key starter is probably unrealistic, but all the evidence is that he can still help a good team win games. Again, he played so sparingly this season and in such an inconsistent role that we don’t even really know how good he still is. Hopefully he actually gets a chance to play next season, regardless of what team he’s on.

2023 Clippers Exit Interview: Robert Covington
Robert Flom

Our 2022-2023 player season preview series wraps with the versatile forward, veteran Robert Covington.

BASIC INFORMATION

Height: 6’7”

Weight: 209

Position: Forward

Age: 31

Years in NBA: 9

Key Stats: 71 games, 8.5 points, 5.5 rebounds, 1.3 assists, 1.5 steals, 1.3 blocks on 42.0/37.8/84.1 shooting splits

Contract Status: Robert Covington signed a two-year, $ 24 million contract with the Clippers this past offseason.

EXPECTATIONS

While it would be nice to have the Philadelphia 76ers version of RoCo or even the version we saw in 23 games as a Clipper last season, the Clippers don’t need him to be that guy — nor will he be that version. But my expectation is that RoCo will be the versatile wing that’ll fill gaps for the Clippers throughout the season. Of the bigger wings and forwards, his body has certainly held up the best over recent years. RoCo’s availability and style of play will allow Ty Lue to properly manage the workload of everyone during the 82-game sprint, while guys like RoCo and Terance Mann put a little more tread on their wheels.

STRENGTHS

RoCo is fantastic as an off-ball defender. He roams like a free safety and has an innate ability to jump passing lanes upon sniffing out reads — it’s how he ended up as the only player in the NBA last season to reach 90-plus steals and 90-plus blocks. And even though he doesn’t quite have the agility he once possessed to be a reliable on-ball defender, he makes up for getting beat off the dribble by having some of the best and most active hands in the league.

Another one of Covington’s calling cards is his ability to space the floor. His accuracy throughout his career from beyond the arc has ranged from average to really good, with no real consistency either way. Yet, his capacity to fire them away without hesitation usually makes for a good offensive process and his volume alone helps keep the defense honest. 

WEAKNESSES

I struggled to find something here since RoCo plays his specific role and plays it quite well — much like Zu, who doesn’t step outside of his box. So I guess I’ll point to a weakness in Covington’s skillset as opposed to those that might be noticeable on a nightly basis. Although he isn’t asked to do so, he’s not a shot creator — not for himself or for others. Only one time in his career has RoCo averaged 2.0 or more assists per game in a season, and you certainly won’t see him doing much creation for himself off the bounce.

And for the sake of the category, Covington isn’t an elite on-ball defender. He was sort of miscast as one for much of his career, but (here comes another football reference) he’s more of a safety than a cornerback. I wouldn’t say he’s bad at it, but there are certainly times in which the ball-handler breaks him down.

SUMMARY

It seemed as though the general consensus before the trade that landed him in L.A. was that Robert Covington was somewhat cooked. In Portland, he was averaging the fewest points per game (7.6) since his rookie season and had seen his shooting efficiency completely exit. But he came to L.A. and immediately found life. His shooting skyrocketed and his defense, on a nightly basis, was arguably the best of any Clipper who consistently suited up in the 2021-22 season — two things that turned him into one of the more-respected two-way wings in the league for s couple of his prime years in the NBA.

Maybe he’s that, or maybe he’s a slightly lesser version. But at the end of the day, Robert Covington will be an impactful player almost every time he’s on the court for the Clippers in the 2023. I just hope the logjam at the forward spots doesn’t lead to him frequently being underutilized.

Clippers 2022-2023 Season Preview: Robert Covington
Cole Huff

With the Clippers’ 2022 offseason more or less over, it’s time to start reviewing their summer and handing out grades. First up, an assessment of the Clippers’ extension of forward Robert Covington.

Lucas Hann: B
I like the Robert Covington extension, but I don’t want to get too far ahead of myself giving out A after A to all of these new deals.  Let’s look at it from a pessimistic perspective: RoCo was having a down year in Portland, and the word “washed” was even thrown around.  Then, he got traded to LAC and had a renaissance… while shooting 45% from three, a massive outlier based on his career numbers.  Defensively, while his back-line rotations were elite, he struggled to stay in front of anyone when guarding the ball.  If he’s shooting 34% from three, as he did in his 48 games with Portland last year, or 36%, as he has over 537 career games, his value drops quite a bit from what he gave the Clippers in those 23 games last season. 

There’s also the element that this contract–keeping long-term a third veteran PF over the age of 30–represents a commitment to heavy doses of smallball next season, opening up an element of downside if that gamble doesn’t pay off, even if Covington is individually solid.  I think that the 2/24 is still a fine number for that gamble though.  It’s probably more than Covington could have gotten on the open market (where he would have almost certainly been capped at the non-taxpayer mid-level exception), but it’s the smallest number the Clippers could give him under extension rules, and locking him in without worrying about his free agency was a prudent move.  So, it’s solid-but-not-great value on a good player who is probably being a bit overrated due to unsustainable shooting numbers in a small sample with LAC last year… a B feels right.

Shapan Debnath: B+
Covington was sort of found money in the Norm Powell deal: there was an idea of what RoCo was but sort of concern for his possible decline. Well, what he was was a damn steal last year, going 50/45/85 as a Clipper with incredible help defense and looking like a definitive wingstop member. Now, could RoCo slip more to his career 36% from three and make you wish Marcus Morris was the one catching passes in the corner at times? Will he sometimes get targeted off switches because while his backline instincts are great, his footspeed isn’t the best? I do think there are some quiet concerns paying like that for a guy that just fit like a glove for an injury plagued team, but on the surface it’s hard to complain about nailing down another asset and possible cog to the team out of what initially seemed like a throw in. If RoCo can continue to make his threes close to last year’s rate, he might be an invaluable piece of Ty Lue’s small ball heavy playoff rotation.

Ralston Dacanay: A-
Back on May 5, my instant reaction to seeing the RoCo-Woj bomb was that the 2/24 extension was A+-level business from the front office. However, as Lucas alluded to, seeing how dry free agency has ended up turning out does feel like there wasn’t really much of a threat of him leaving. Additionally, I didn’t foresee Lawrence Frank and co. seemingly being content riding it out with Marcus Morris Sr., Nicolas Batum, and Covington all handling reserve-five duties with regularity. As such, how RoCo plays into the “wingstop” small-ball equation with Mook and Batum, as well as how he continues to shoot from three, will be more important themes to keep track of than I once thought. Nonetheless, keeping Covington and his lightning-fast hands from ultimately going to a rival contender, as well as the sheer prospect of the potential lineups that Ty Lue could cook up with him, still makes this a great move in my book.

David Mendez-Yapkowitz: A-
Keeping Covington was a no-brainer. He’s a big reason why the Clippers are able to have so much lineup versatility. He fit in well after the trade with Portland and he played both forward positions and even a little small ball center. He’s been known as a 3&D player and for the most part he filled that role with the Clippers. Sure, there may have been some concerns due to his numbers taking a hit in Portland, and his play with the Clippers was a small sample size. But if he can keep up his numbers anywhere close to last season, he makes the Clippers that much better.

Robert Flom: A-
I’m under no allusions that RoCo will shoot 45% from three next year. I also don’t care. His career average of 36%, especially on the volume with which he takes threes, is plenty valuable for a player as excellent as he is defensively. He’s not a stopper, but individual defense is always overrated in the NBA. Additionally, he’s a much better rebounder than Nic Batum or Marcus Morris, which helps with small-ball lineups. He’s a great fit and a good player at a position of need.

I don’t agree with the Clippers’ seeming decision to play small-ball with their reserves. I think that it will wear down their forwards, who are all past 30, and that big men are plenty valuable. That said, I won’t grade this deal on the Clippers’ bigger picture decision. And, maybe RoCo doesn’t get 2/24 on the open market, but Bruce Brown got a 2/13, and RoCo is a much, much better shooter and bigger defender than Brown. It’s perhaps a slight overpay, but if anyone in the NBA can afford it, it’s Steve Ballmer.

Erik Olsgaard: B+
Coming into last season, I had no idea who Robert Covington really was. I mean, I obviously knew who he was, but I thought he was a tweener big that could play small ball C because he was long enough to sort of protect the rim, and an okay but not great three point shooter. I had no idea he was a deflection GOD, with the best hands on the passing lane since Andre Iguodala. Maybe his previous teams weren’t built in a way that let him gamble defensively, or maybe I just didn’t notice. Either way, Robert Covington is going to have a direct impact as soon as he steps on the court with the fully realized and healthy 2022-23 squad, and on a pretty reasonable contract extension, I can’t complain one bit.

Leave your thoughts on the Robert Covington extension below!

213 Hoops 2022 Offseason Roundtable: Robert Covington Extension
Robert Flom

Our staff roundtable grades continue with a look at Robert Covington, a dynamic acquisition for the Clippers at the 2022 trade deadline.

Ralston Dacanay: A

Like most, I was high on the Norman Powell trade when it happened, but set the expectations pretty low for Robert Covington in particular. A 31-year-old vet who was being brought onto his sixth NBA team after an uninspiring 48-game stint with Portland at that point in the season, RoCo had long been a great role player in my eyes, but it just seemed to be that time in his career when his production could really start to fall off. Twenty-three games in a Clipper uniform and a two-year, $24 million extension signed later, it’s clear that this reinvigorated version of Covington still has plenty left in the tank. With averages of 10.4 ppg, 5.1 rpg, 1.3 spg and 2.1 3pm on 50/85/45 splits in just 22.1 minutes per game, Covington had Clipper fans and writers alike begging Tyronn Lue to give him more time. His play these past couple of months really could perhaps be the catalyst that opens up the door for LAC to make some big moves this summer, having shed light on the sheer amount of wing depth Lawrence Frank and co. have to work with. Even if the Clippers decide to mostly run it back, however, Covington and his lightning-fast hands should especially flourish with the attention that Powell, Paul George and Kawhi Leonard attract.

Erik Olsgaard: A

Sort of the opposite of Terance, I had pretty low expectations of RoCo when the Clippers traded for him. To me, he was supposed to be a solid 4 with a decent, but not great shot, and the ability to shift to the small ball 5. But this was based entirely off of watching him in Houston and Portland. And what I didn’t realize was that he hadn’t been truly unlocked at his previous stops. What we got was a defensive menace, capable of legitimately guarding 1 through 5 making him impervious to switches, who roams the passing lanes with some of the best hands since Andre Iguodala. And shooting 45% from deep on top of that? Completely blew my mind. I couldn’t be happier with Covington’s performance last year, and I am absolutely ecstatic that he’s decided to re-sign with the team before free agency even begins.

Shapan Debnath: A

Maybe my only A so far? RoCo exceeded all my expectations, shot a blistering SEVENTY percent from the corners, and was a help defense wizard that harkened me back to some Kawhi led small ball. Robert Covington quickly became a fixture in the Clippers rotation and I am so glad he’s locked up for the next couple seasons. RoCo feels like a necessary piece in Ty Lue’s natural small ball inclination, particularly with how poor of rebounders guys like Nico or Morris are. He had so many highlights this season, the Milwaukee explosion coming to the top of the list, but I’m just very excited to see him play alongside Kawhi and George. And particularly those two as well as Terance and Nico.

Cole Huff: A-

I had optimism that Covington would enter a more ideal situation with the Clippers and begin to more closely resemble the player that he became in Philadelphia. But what I didn’t expect was that the Clippers would get a 45.0 percent 3-point shooter and immediate game changer off the bench. His importance showed in the film and in the stats. RoCo’s per 36 numbers were the best of his career and it’s truly a shame that the logjam at forward kept his average minutes to just 22.1. He frequently sat almost all of first and third quarters as Ty Lue opted for Morris or other options, which made games more dramatic than they needed to be. He wasn’t perfect by any means but almost always had positive impact on the floor and far exceeded any expectations. I’m looking forward to him getting more minutes next season and it’ll be fun to watch his off-ball defense and quick hands alongside Leonard and George. He even had a podcast here named after him (The Bob Cov Pod). For that, he gets an A-. 

Robert Flom: A

What’s there to say about Robert Covington that hasn’t already been said? Initially an afterthought in the Norm Powell deal, RoCo was so good that he will probably make the trade worth it all on his own, Norm aside. He’s still an excellent help defender, passable at point of attack against most wings and guards, a good rebounder, a solid three point shooter on high volume, and someone who will keep the ball moving with good energy. In short, he’s a perfect role player alongside Kawhi Leonard and Paul George, and echoing the sentiments above, I can’t wait to see Robert Covington next to the Clippers’ superstars over the next couple of seasons.

213 Hoops 2022 Clippers Player Ground Roundtable: Robert Covington
Robert Flom

Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN just broke on Twitter that the Clippers have agreed to sign Robert Covington to a two-year, $24M extension, keeping him on the Clippers through the 2024 season.

Covington came over in the Norm Powell deal, and was largely thought of as a throw-in, as his defense had reportedly slipped on the Blazers and his always-inconsistent offense had worsened as well. Most people thought he’d be a fine rotation player, maybe someone to re-sign as a cheap bench option, but not much more.

Instead, RoCo was sensational for the Clippers, averaging 10.4 points, 5.1 rebounds, 1.3 steals, and 1.2 blocks in 22.1 minutes per game while shooting 45% from three on 4.5 attempts per game. The Clippers outscored opposing teams by 11.9 points per 100 possessions with Covington on the court, a monster number and the best on the team. The eye stats matched the test – Covington played exceptional help defense, rebounded the ball well, and shot lights out from three.

Most importantly, RoCo is a phenomenal fit with the Clippers, who love to play small. He can play the four or even the five alongside Paul George, Kawhi Leonard, and one (or both) of Marcus Morris and Nic Batum, and is still playable at the three as well. He’s also a year and a few months younger than Morris and two years younger than Batum – and has played far, far NBA minutes than either. Therefore, despite some slippage already, he’s probably more likely to age better over the next couple years than the other two guys.

Robert Covington is easily worth $12M per year considering all of this, and a two-year extension is very team-friendly for the Clippers. He’s a great guy by all accounts, fits well on the team, and is a seasoned veterans who fits the Clippers’ timeline. Welcome back RoCo.

Clippers Sign Robert Covington to Extension
Robert Flom