by Doug Ammon

Slowly but surely, the NBA game has moved outward. Analytics and eye-tests alike show that a sport once dominated by big men and play around the rim is now defined by spacing and jump shots.

For Robert Covington, this trend has played right into his shooting hand.

Standing 6’9” with a 215-pound frame, Covington has prototypical size at the small forward position, and his 7’2” wingspan and 36-inch vertical only make his physical profile more impressive.

A hard working, no-nonsense player, Covington arrived in Philadelphia by way of the NBA Development League after four seasons at Tennessee State from 2009-13. After going undrafted, he spent almost all of 2013-14 with the D-League’s Rio Grande Valley Vipers, also playing a handful of games with their parent team, the Houston Rockets, earning NBDL Rookie of the Year honors and an All-Star MVP award, but despite his strong play with Rio Grande Valley, Covington was waived by the Rockets on the eve of the 2014-15 season.

A second call to Association, one that so many players dream of but so many never receive, came from the Philadelphia 76ers on November 15. This time, potential and opportunity met.

As 16 NBA teams continue their quest for a championship in the playoffs, the 2014-15 Sixers have time to reflect on the season that was, and it’s doubtful anyone will look back upon it with a bigger smile than Robert Covington.

The 24-year-old finished the year as the Sixers’ leading scorer at 13.5 points per game. His 70 games played were the fifth most on the squad while his 1,956 minutes were second most.

Covington finished the year shooting 37.4% from downtown, but it was his 167 made three-pointers that earned him a spot in the Sixers record books. That number was the fourth most of any player in franchise history and the most for a player in their first season with the team.

In fact, only Kyle Korver made more threes in a season as a Sixer before his 25th birthday, and Korver achieved his 226 made threes in 2004-05 in 2,667 minutes compared to Covington’s 1,956.

Only Damian Lillard made more threes than Covington through 60 career games, and Lillard played 794 more minutes than Covington to earn his 131-129 edge in that category.

When the dust settled this season, the sophomore Sixer’s 167 triples were the tenth most in the NBA, marking the first time a Sixer has been in the top ten in made threes in nine years.

The soft-spoken and humble Covington addressed the home crowd before the Sixers’ final game of the season against the Miami Heat, thanking the Philly faithful for sticking with the squad and promising them bigger and better things in the future.

Big things are coming, and Robert Covington will be shooting his way through it all.