PHILADELPHIA — The Philadelphia 76ers are still working on getting their new additions integrated within their system on both ends of the floor.
With Nic Batum away from the team due to personal reasons and Kelly Oubre Jr. out with a rib fracture, Robert Covington has stepped into the starting lineup.
Covington had 16 points in Wednesday’s loss to the Boston Celtics on 6-for-13 shooting. He was 0-for-5 from deep, but they were mostly good looks as he continues to figure out how the Sixers run things.
“I’m getting better,” said Covington. “I’m still learning the terminology. I feel more comfortable, but it’s just once I’m more fluid — like getting another week or so. Most likely by December, everything will be much easier. It’ll be a lot more fluid.”
A big component of how Nick Nurse runs the offense in Philadelphia is the movement of players off the ball. When Joel Embiid is getting doubled in the post or if Tyrese Maxey is running into some trouble, players have to take advantage of the attention they’re receiving from the defense and cut to find open looks.
“Just knowing the offense more,” Covington added. “Like more wrinkles, ways that the team guards, certain ways that I can make myself more available. One thing that coach talked about a lot was cutting and you know doing the little things and that’s what got me a lot of good looks and created a lot of looks for my teammates because, like I said, it’s just getting out and doing something that makes less selfish for the team.”
The veteran out of Tennessee State found success moving without the ball against the Celtics as he was able to find some offensive rebounds for putbacks. That’s something that obviously helps, but he has to be able to knock down open looks from deep as well.
“I think he’s capable of it,” Nurse added on Covington. “I really liked that he was on the glass. I thought he was making a real conscious effort to get us some extra possessions there. We’re gonna need some of his perimeter shooting, right? He got everything inside the line. We’re gonna need some of his perimeter shooting.”
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