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Covington Walks His Talk, Steps Up Big For Wolves

“It comes from being strong-minded, knowing that just because one side of the game is not going the way you want it to that you can’t affect the game in other ways… You can’t dwell on it, that’s why we play 82 games. We just have to build off the win, forget what happened offensively, build off what you did positively and go from there.” 

That’s what Robert Covington had to say at Monday’s shootaround when he was asked about his poor shooting night against the Bulls on Saturday. Covington knew that he was doing the right things on the court, his shots just weren’t falling. He just had to keep doing what he knew he could do.

On Monday night in Cleveland that attitude paid off and Covington’s slump proved short-lived as he helped lead the Wolves to victory. He finished with a team-high 24 points (his most in a Wolves uniform) on 8-for-12 shooting. He also hit 4threes shooting a scorching 57.1percent from deep and added two steals and two blocks. Covington got to the rim, operated in the paint and generally looked like the dynamic offensive player everyone knows he can be. 

That’s not the most important takeaway though.

The scoring is nice, and the threes are even better, but the best part about Covington’s performance is how similar it looked to Saturday night’s game when he wasn’t hitting. The energy, the aggressiveness, it was all there on both nights. Covington said all the right things after the Bulls game and Monday morning about how the only thing he cares about is winning and doing whatever the team needs. It shouldn’t be taking Wolves fans long to realize that wasn’t just talk—he’ll be there for his team one way or another every single night. 

Covington has the advantage of being able to fill a lot of roles on the Wolves which makes it easier for him to find ways to be important. He can guard three positions and use his great defensive instincts to disrupt or steal passes and take charges. On offense, he makes good cuts and always seems to know where to be to get an open shot. 

When you do things the right way things tend to work themselves out, Covington’s night is a perfect illustration of that.