The Minnesota Timberwolves are getting a key contributor back just in time for a late-season push to the playoffs. Before Robert Covington makes his long-awaited return to the NBA game, though, Minnesota has assigned him to the G League's Iowa Wolves, the team announced in a press release on Wednesday.
NEWS: #Twolves assign Robert Covington to the team's @nbagleague affiliate @iawolves. Full release: pic.twitter.com/UnGEDSqpP5
— Timberwolves PR (@Twolves_PR) February 27, 2019
Covington suffered a bone bruise late in his team's loss to the New Orleans Pelicans on December 31 when Pelican wing Darius Miller fell into his right knee. The Timberwolves offered no concrete timeline for his return to the floor, and few other details concerning his treatment save for the fact that he wouldn't require surgery. Tom Thibodeau, fired one week after the injury, only said Covington would be out “a while.”
The sixth-year pro was acquired by Minnesota, along with big man Dario Saric, in the trade that sent disgruntled All-Star Jimmy Butler to the Philadelphia 76ers in November. Covington immediately established himself as a bellwether for the Timberwolves, guarding the opposition's top perimeter threat and expanding his new team's spacing at the other end by launching threes all over the floor. Minnesota is 12-10 with him in the lineup this season, and has gone 11-11 since he has been out due to his injury. Covington has averaged 14.5 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 2.3 steals in 34.7 minutes for the Timberwolves while shooting 37.2 percent from 3-point range on 6.2 attempts per game.
Minnesota is 29-31, 10th in the Western Conference and three games back of the San Antonio Spurs for eighth place. The team stands to reap major two-way benefits when Covington makes his NBA return, especially considering he has yet to play for interim coach Ryan Saunders.
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