Photo Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Robert Covington Wanted To Stay In Philly To See The Sixers ‘Process’ Through

When there is a trade involving a superstar, other players who are part of the deal often are forgotten by the media and fans.

Robert Covington is one example. After years of playing in Philadelphia and being a key part in the ‘trust the process’ movement, RoCo was shipped to the Minnesota Timberwolves.

While players like Embiid and Simmons were grabbing all the headlines, Covington was one underrated aspect of the 76ers nucleus. But, over these past few years, Covington has turned into one of the more underrated talents within the association.

Standing at an impressive 6-foot-9, Covington came into the league as a working progress, but has since established himself into a legitimate “3 & D” starting caliber player within the league. As his basketball IQ and three-point shot has improved, Covington has gone from strength in his development, and has transitioned from solid role player to a central figure of everything good for the organization.

The 3 & D specialist will always be welcome on NBA rosters, as their ability to guard the opposition’s best player and be a threat from the outside prove invaluable to the success of their teams.

After being signed by Philly from the D-League in 2014, Covington quickly showed his ability to connect from range, and showed glimpses of being a lockdown defender in the future. He has embraced that defensive mold, and has become one of the league’s elite defenders.

It’s been a little less than a year since Covington was traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves but when he made his return to Philadelphia this past Wednesday playing for the first time in front of Sixers fans in an opposing uniform, he revealed that having to leave Philadelphia hurt him, and that he wanted to see the process through.

Per SixersWire:

“Of course, being here for many years, of course, you’d want to see it. That opportunity went out the door once they made the change and my focus shifted to Minnesota. Ultimately, that was my main goal to be the best player I can be for this team now. The playoff run that we went on…

Then the rough years of us being able to get minutes and actually develop into an actual NBA player. There was a lot of stigma behind me coming out that people didn’t believe that I could be here. I was given an opportunity and I made the best of it. I think that’s the biggest thing that I embrace about in my time here.”