Getty Derrick Rose of the New York Knicks looks on during the first quarter against the Philadelphia 76ers.
The New York Knicks may be just 2-4 over their last six outings and boast a pedestrian 10-11 record on the year thus far, but this is not to say that they’re not still trying to find ways to position themselves for a playoff or play-in push later on in the season.
In fact, based on recent reports, Leon Rose and company have already shown a “willingness” to make moves in the form of a trade, with talents like Immanuel Quickley and Derrick Rose both being listed as possible outbound assets.
The Knicks have shown a willingness to discuss Derrick Rose and Immanuel Quickley in trade talks, per @ShamsCharania
While it’s truly anyone’s guess as to what the Knicks could wind up landing in return for some of their player’s services on the trade market, Ben Stinar of Fastbreak stated in a November 24 article that the latter mentioned Rose or even veteran wing Evan Fournier could prove to be worthwhile commodities to dangle in a pursuit of three-and-D forward, Robert Covington.
“Still having one more year left on his current contract as well, Covington could definitely be a midseason addition for a team looking to add some more depth on the wing and at their forward positions,” Stinar wrote.
“He plays tough on the defensive-end of the floor and can spread the floor offensively, knocking down routine three-pointers from the corner, which is why he could be an excellent fit in Tom Thibodeau’s system with the Knicks.
Covington offers New York the chance to have a true ‘small-ball’ lineup with his ability to play the center position and while he is not a flashy name, Robert Covington knows what it takes to win in this league.
“The Knicks do not have many playoff experienced players on their roster, which is why moving a player like Evan Fournier or Derrick Rose in a trade for the Clippers’ veteran could make sense.”
While Stinar would continue by noting that Fournier and Rose’s remaining financial figures on their contracts may be a hard sell for the Clippers, should Los Angeles wind up shopping the likes of Covington at some point this season, the Knicks swapping out either one of these players could prove to be well worth it.
Knicks Need a Player Like Covington
Stinar stating that the Knicks could use a three-and-D talent like Robert Covington should come as no surprise to anyone, as this has been a talking point seemingly all season for the ball club.
Even an anonymous rival executive recently told Heavy Sports’ NBA Insider Sean Deveney that of all the areas New York should consider addressing during this year’s campaign, perimeter defense and long-range shooting is where the most bolstering is needed.
“They could use some high-level perimeter defenders, that is probably their weak spot. Their offense has been really good, but they can improve their ball movement and they obviously need to shoot it better,” the exec said.
“But they don’t have that tough defender you can put on Giannis (Antetokounmpo) or (Jayson) Tatum or (Kevin) Durant. If they keep playing well and they start thinking about the playoffs, that is something I’d expect them to look at.”
A 10-year NBA veteran, Covington has made a name for himself as being a tremendous three-and-D talent who is offensively skilled enough and defensively tenacious enough to slot in at any position from the three down to the five.
For his career, the 31-year-old boasts impressive averages of 11.4 points, 5.8 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 1.6 steals steals and a block per game on 40.7% shooting from the field and 36.1% shooting from deep.
SPLASH 💦
Through 13 games into his second season with the Clippers, Covington has continued to serve as a highly productive and effective two-way role player, as he’s posting 17.0 points, 12.3 rebounds, and 2.1 blocks per 100 possessions whilst shooting 41.9% from beyond the arc.
Similar to how his league tenure has gone, the veteran also finds himself serving as an enforcer on the defensive end in 2022-23 for Los Angeles, as he sports a defensive box plus-minus of 2.0 and a defensive rating of 105, both of which rank second best on the team out of those who have logged over 100 minutes thus far on the year.
With this, because the Knicks find themselves placing just 24th in defensive rating (114.1) and 28th in long-range field goal percentage (32.3%), it’s easy to see why Stinar believes that someone like Robert Covington could be of great value within Tom Thibodeau’s rotation.
Randle Enters Knicks’ History Books
Though the New York Knicks may be a wildly inefficient three-point shooting team in 2022-23, big man Julius Randle recently managed to etch himself into the history books for the franchise in all-time three-point field goals made after having knocked down six shots from beyond the arc on November 29 in a 140-110 blowout victory against the Detroit Pistons.
Julius Randle tonight:
36 PTS
7 REB
5 AST
6 3P
Top 10 all-time in threes by a Knick.
With 390 makes, he finds himself surpassing Latrell Sprewell (385) for the 10th spot on the team’s all-time three-point field goals made list.