Jackson: Covington Deserves To Get Every Penny He Can Get

On Wednesday Night, ESPN NBA Insider Adrian Wojnarowski reported the Sixers and Robert Covington are finalizing a four-year, $62 million contract extension.  The new deal will keep him in Philadelphia through the 2021-2022 season while giving him a major pay increase and allowing the 76ers to avoid letting him become a Restricted Free Agent after this season.  Covington through 14 games is shooting 49.5 percent from Three-Point Range this season after he was fourth in the NBA in Steals Per Game (1.9) last year while finishing fourth in the NBA Defensive Player of the Year voting.

NBC Sports Philadelphia Pre/Post Game Sixers Analyst Marc Jackson joined The Sports Bash on Thursday and talked about Robert Covington's importance to the 76ers:

"(I have) said, if RoCo can play anyway better than he played last season, the Sixers are fighting for a 5^th seed....He’s playing about 20% better than he did last year. He deserves to get paid, he’s played the role this team needs because you can be a good player, but - if you don’t fit what that team needs, then no matter how good you are, you aren't vital to the team you play for. So, he is a 'Three and D', very good defender of three positions.....He is a very good shooter. And he’s another floor spacer which means for Ben Simmons driving lanes, for Joel Embiid to go One-on-One, you can’t leave them. So (Covington) deserves to get every penny he can get and, he’s been underpaid since last year, well deserving for Robert Covington."

Hear what Jackson had to say about Joel Embiid's monster performance versus the Lakers, Ben Simmons' high level of play, Dario Saric's role on this team, and more Sixers talk