It’s been quite a while since the Philadelphia 76ers had the opportunity to trot out their veteran reserve, Robert Covington. As Covington’s been dealing with a knee-related setback, he hasn’t seen the court since the Sixers’ December 30 loss against the Chicago Bulls on the road.
When the Sixers faced the Bulls for a rematch to begin the 2024 phase of the season, Covington was ruled out for the first time since December 20, when the 76ers hosted the Minnesota Timberwolves.
A couple of weeks back, Sixers’ head coach Nick Nurse was hopeful Covington’s return was around the corner. Unfortunately, Monday’s matchup against the San Antonio Spurs marked the tenth straight game Covington would miss.
Heading into the Monday night matchup against the Spurs, Nurse once again addressed the state of Covington’s ongoing injury concerns. Based on the latest update, Nurse didn’t seem totally optimistic about Covington getting back out on the court within the next game or two.
"Cov is out for a good chunk," Nurse said. "Yet, I think, but we’re hoping to get a bigger update on that."
Following Philly’s Monday night matchup against the Spurs, the Sixers will get two days off before hitting the road for a long trip, beginning with a matchup against the Indiana Pacers.
The Sixers will close this week’s slate with a game against the Denver Nuggets on the road on Saturday night. While there isn’t a definitive timeline for a return in place for Covington, it seems he could miss a handful of games for Philadelphia, extending his absence well into late January.
Before going down with his recent injury, Covington appeared in 26 games for the Sixers, averaging 16 minutes on the court. During that time, he produced five points per game, along with four rebounds, one steal, and one block.
More must-reads: