If or when the NBA resumes its 2019-20 season from its current COVID-19 hiatus, Houston Rockets forward Robert Covington doesn’t think he’ll need too much practice time before being game ready.
The NBA halted the season on March 12, and a week later barred players from team practice facilities as a means of promoting social distancing. But many players such as Covington have worked out individually at private gyms, and that’s helped them stay in relatively good shape.
Covington, who has been working out at a private gym in nearby Katy, Texas, spoke with Fox 26 Houston’s Mark Berman about a wide range of topics — including the timetable of a return to basketball.
Many around the league have suggested that players will likely need close to a month’s notice to get ready for NBA games after a long layoff.
Berman: How much time do you think guys like you need to get ready, if and when they decide to play?
Covington: It’s not going to take me long. I typically don’t get out of shape that easily. To have been a month and a half, almost, I still feel game ready. I still feel like I can go play my normal minutes. I might be more tired, and my recovery might be a little bit longer, but I still feel like I could do the same.
Acquired by Houston in early February, the 29-year-old Covington is best known for his defense. In 14 games with the Rockets, he’s averaging 12.8 points (35.7% on 3-pointers), 7.9 rebounds, and 2.5 blocks in 32.6 minutes per game as the team’s starter at power forward.
Should the season resume, the versatile forward will be counted on to provide a combination of perimeter defense, rim protection, and floor spacing in head coach Mike D’Antoni‘s smaller linsups. At 6-foot-8, he’s the tallest and longest player in Houston’s small-ball scheme.
The Rockets (40-24) are tied for No. 5 in the Western Conference, though they’re only a game back of Utah (with the tiebreaker) for the No. 4 spot. Regardless of final seed, they’re a virtual lock for the 2020 NBA playoffs, if they are held — and Covington is a big part of their winning formula.
