Minnesota Timberwolves: Why each new player fits the Wolves perfectly

Robert Covington

Ladies and gentlemen, the Timberwolves have finally joined the trend (that admittedly began several years ago) of filling out the lineup with players that have a pair of elite skills: 3-point shooting and perimeter defense.

Going back many years, Wolves fans have dreamed of landing a prime Courtney Lee or Danny Green, or even in recent years, an aging Trevor Ariza or P.J. Tucker. And finally, they have one of the league’s premiere 3-and-D players on an impressively affordable contract.

Robert Covington was in his fifth season with the 76ers and has been remarkably consistent, averaging 12.9 points, 5.5 rebounds, 1.6 assist, and 1.6 steals over 297 games in blue and white. But it’s his floor-spacing and lockdown defense that are his most important traits.

Covington is a solid 35.9 percent 3-point shooter, but has shot 37.2 percent over 93 starts between last season and the start of the current campaign. He’s averaged 6.5 attempts per game over his career, and won’t be gun-shy if he has a sliver of space on the perimeter.

He’s the kind of trigger-happy marksman the Wolves have needed for years, and the fact that the franchise landed a pair of them in Covington and Saric in one trade is nothing short of remarkable.

But perhaps even more important than Covington’s shooting ability is his defense. The Wolves, after all, just jettisoned one of the best all-around defenders in the league in Jimmy Butler, and back-filling the role with another member of the NBA’s All-Defensive team is practically a coup.

In fact, the Wolves swapped last year’s best defender at the shooting guard position for last year’s RPM leader at small forward. There’s even an argument to be made that Covington is a better all-around defender than Butler.

Covington just began playing on a four-year, $47 million extension that he signed just under a year ago. It will be a bargain of a contract as the cap continues to rise, and Covington will enjoy his age-28 through age-32 seasons as a member of the Timberwolves.