A healthy Robert Covington will be the biggest addition to a Minnesota Timberwolves team that struggled with defense and outside shooting last season.
The Minnesota Timberwolves missed out on the big-name free agents this offseason, but they still added a lot of complementary pieces that will help their roster.
Despite these new additions, the Timberwolves most important new piece was acquired last season: Robert Covington.
Even though Covington joined the franchise roughly nine months ago, he was relegated to playing in only 22 games due to injury. Having him enter the season fully healthy is much like the Timberwolves signing one of the league’s best 3-and-D wings.
Covington’s impact was limited with the Wolves last season, but what he showed when on the floor was impressive.
Defensively, Covington is a lockdown defender who can guard multiple positions at a high level. On offense, Covington is a reliable outside shooter and does a great job of working off the ball.
Covington’s biggest impact for the Timberwolves is on the defensive end of the floor. The Timberwolves have had one of the worst defenses over the last few years and last season was no exception, as they ranked 24th in the league with a defensive rating of 112.2.
The bright side, however, is that the Timberwolves’ defensive rating dropped to 106.1 when Covington was on the floor. That number would have been the fourth-best defensive rating in the league last year.
Covington provides a defensive IQ and versatility that the Timberwolves were in desperate need of on the wing. His defensive prowess allows him to take on opponents’ best player while the weaker defenders like Andrew Wiggins or Jeff Teague can be hidden on less threatening opponents.
Covington proved that he is one of the league’s elite wing defenders with both his effectiveness as on and off the ball. He was second in the league last season with 3.7 deflections per contest and second with 2.1 steals per game.
The impact Covington has away from the ball by disrupting passing lanes is clear as we can see in the below clip.
The play starts with Covington guarding Jayson Tatum in the corner as the Celtics run a high pick-and-roll with Kyrie Irving and Al Horford. As the play develops you can see Covington stay in the passing lane to Tatum while also keeping an eye on the rest of the floor. Irving does a nice job of getting into the lane which forces the Timberwolves to collapse on him, leaving other players like Horford open.
As Irving drives, Covington recognizes that he has already taken Tatum out of the play with his positioning and knows that Horford is Irving’s only option. Once Irving begins to leave his feet, Covington breaks on the pass that results in an easy fast break.
While Covington is always a threat to disrupt passing lanes, he also has very quick hands and great timing to poke the ball loose. In the below clip we see how Covington is always a threat to force a turnover.
As Covington rotates with his man, he keeps a constant eye on CJ McCollum who is a much bigger scoring threat. Covington is aware that the Trailblazers have spread the floor which has left the lane wide open and that he will need to help on any drive. As McCollum dribbles back towards the lane, he easily beats his defender while Covington is forced to abandon his man. He times his reach in perfectly as McCollum goes into his gather and forces the turnover.
Covington is vital to the Timberwolves success on defense. He has a high defensive IQ and can guard nearly any position on the floor. His versatility covers up a lot of the other holes on the roster and could help the Timberwolves make a massive jump on defense.
While Covington is known for his defense and isn’t a prolific scorer, he is a great complementary offensive piece. The Timberwolves’ offense has lacked consistent off-ball scorers. Covington will help fill that hole immediately as he does his best work away from the ball.
Last season, Covington scored 1.15 points per possession (87.5th percentile) in spot-up situations and 1.57 points per possession (95.4th percentile) when he cut. Covington’s awareness and off-ball movement will create opportunities and outlets when players like Karl-Anthony Towns and Andrew Wiggins need to kick out of a drive.
Here, we can see how Covington takes advantage of filling open space. Towns and Tyus Jones run a pick-and-roll and there is clearly some confusion among Detroit’s defenders. Covington starts the play being guarded by Zaza Pachulia who wants nothing to do with guarding on the wing. Covington knows this and recognizes the open space on the wing that was just vacated by Towns and Jones. He knows that Pachulia will look to switch as Towns rolls to the rim.
By sliding to the wing and taking advantage of the defensive miscommunication, Covington creates an open three.
Covington’s off-ball movement isn’t limited to the perimeter, however. As one of the most effective cutters in the league, Covington does a great job of finding open lanes to the rim.
Below, we see him bail out Towns who picks up his dribble on the perimeter. With the floor spread and Taj Gibson’s defender denying the ball, the lane is left wide open. We see Wiggins’s defender help with Gibson by shading and denying a lob over the top, but he has to vacate the lane to avoid a three-second violation. This is when Covington makes his move.
Covington initially makes a move like he is going to the top of the arc and his defender reacts accordingly. Now that his defender is out of position, Covington bolts toward the open lane and finishes with a relatively easy layup.
The Timberwolves have a lot of new faces this season, but their biggest addition will be a healthy Robert Covington. Their defense will improve as they add an elite wing defender. His IQ and versatility will provide a sense of stability and consistency that they have long lacked.
Offensively, the Timberwolves will be adding a career 37.2 percent 3-point shooter and one of the league’s most effective cutters. Covington makes the extra pass, doesn’t force shots, and finds open spaces.
While Covington likely won’t make an All-Star game in his career, his elite defense and reliable scoring will make him the most important addition to the Timberwolves this season.