At the very least, it’s the opposite of what the Clippers would get from their wing-heavy Monday night group. That’s a small sample size but one with an alarming lack of success. Against the Brooklyn Nets last Saturday, the Clippers were outscored 31-15 in the 11 minutes that Reggie Jackson shared the floor with Wall and Powell. The wing-heavy lineup came one game after a particularly disastrous fourth quarter featuring a lineup that had cost the Clippers before. The Clippers outscored the Rockets 33-20 in 11 minutes with Covington, Mann, Batum, Powell and Coffey sharing the floor. That lineup was great against the NBA’s worst team, expanding the lead by five points to begin the second quarter and expanding a lead from 11 points to 19 points to begin the fourth quarter. Amir Coffey, who discussed “Wingstop University” with The Athletic in the offseason, took George’s spot to begin the second quarter. The lineup that Covington came on the court with Monday night in Houston was one of the “wingiest” the Clippers had rolled out all season, as it also featured George, Mann, Norman Powell and Nicolas Batum. It was an opportunity to get Covington back in the mix. Mann would be needed to play backup point guard minutes. With John Wall not playing on the front end of a back-to-back in Houston, a rotation spot was theoretically open. “He’s a pro, and he wants to win,” Lue said after the Clippers beat the Lakers last week. And after the Clippers attempted to slowly reintroduce Covington into the lineup for a couple of games, Clippers head coach Tyronn Lue shared that he spoke with Covington about the state of the rotation and how Covington would need to stay ready.

In Covington’s absence, Terance Mann found his footing in the rotation after a slow start, and the Clippers snapped a four-game losing streak. After the Clippers’ brutal road miniseries against the Oklahoma City Thunder in the second week of the season, Covington was placed in health and safety protocols and missed four straight games. Covington said before and after signing a contract extension in May that he was looking forward to lineups that featured him with star wings Paul George and Leonard.īut things had gone somewhat sideways for Covington. Covington was supposed to be a major part of a wing-adjacent lineup when this season began. It was a sighting that wouldn’t have been notable a month ago. When Robert Covington checked in with just under a minute to play in the first half against the Rockets, it marked the first time in three games that he was in the rotation. And the team is still dealing with the consequences of finding enough playing time for certain players and putting them in the appropriate positions to succeed. They haven’t been good enough with the lineups that were supposed to overwhelm opponents. After 15 games, the Clippers have struggled to form an identity.

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