Tag: Mike D’Antoni

D’Antoni praises Daryl Morey for bringing Robert Covington to Rockets

“Daryl does a good job of looking at the analytics and knowing that our little guys can guard bigs. Getting Covington was the key.”

On both ends of the court, 6-foot-8 forward Robert Covington has been a key contributor for the Houston Rockets in the 2020 NBA playoffs.

On offense, he’s made 50% or more of his 3-pointers in six straight playoff games, and he led Houston in scoring with 21 points during an essential Game 7 victory in the first-round series versus Oklahoma City.

On defense, Covington ranks first in the NBA in playoff steals per game (2.6) and fifth in blocked shots (1.5), and his versatility in Houston’s switch-heavy scheme to defend both at the rim and on the perimeter is a key component of their No. 1 defense in net playoff rating.

How are they doing it, despite starting three guards and a 6-foot-5 center versus a Lakers frontcourt with three players at 6-foot-9 or taller? Head coach Mike D’Antoni credits the versatility of his smaller lineup, and that’s where Covington is critical. Here’s what he said after Game 1:

Daryl [Morey] does a good job of looking at the analytics and knowing that our little guys can guard bigs. So why not do it? Getting Covington was the key. We know we have a very unique team. We can compete.

Covington was acquired by Houston in the February trade that sent traditional center Clint Capela to Atlanta. Since then, the Rockets are 3-0 with Covington against the top-seeded Lakers.

Though Covington only shot three times (all 3-pointers, and he made two of them) during Friday’s Game 1, he still led the Rockets with 39 minutes played. He also had seven rebounds and a game-high four steals.

For the 2020 playoffs to date, Covington is averaging 12.4 points and 5.9 rebounds in 32.4 minutes per game, and he’s doing it on remarkable efficiency at 50.7% shooting and 51.0% on 3-pointers. He’s the first NBA player with at least 21 steals and 12 blocked shots in the first eight games of a postseason since Detroit’s Ben Wallace in 2004.

With a national TV broadcast on ABC, Game 2 between the Rockets and Lakers will tip off at 7:30 p.m. Central on Sunday night.

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