Utah Jazz: Top free agent prospects from across the league

Jan 20, 2017; Dallas, TX, USA; Utah Jazz forward Gordon Hayward (20) and center Rudy Gobert (back) celebrate during the second half against the Dallas Mavericks at American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 20, 2017; Dallas, TX, USA; Utah Jazz forward Gordon Hayward (20) and center Rudy Gobert (back) celebrate during the second half against the Dallas Mavericks at American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports
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Mar 19, 2017; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia 76ers forward Robert Covington (33) reacts after scoring during the first quarter against the Boston Celtics at the Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: John Geliebter-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 19, 2017; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia 76ers forward Robert Covington (33) reacts after scoring during the first quarter against the Boston Celtics at the Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: John Geliebter-USA TODAY Sports

Robert Covington

Philadelphia’s Robert Covington is far from a perfect player. In fact, in a lot of ways he’s still very raw. His shooting percentages from the field and from deep certainly leave a lot to be desired, but if he can improve in that area, he’s a solid scorer and has shown glimpses of explosiveness and could be a nice spark plug for the Jazz.

Beyond that, he’s an exceptional defender which could come in handy as it would allow Utah to throw another wing stopper at opponents off the bench. Covington would be quite a project to be honest, so Utah would have to be able to get him at a pretty reasonable price, but I like the wildcard and X-factor nature about him.

If the Jazz find themselves with the right amount of money after adding key guys or perhaps if Joe Ingles ends up signing an offer sheet with another team that Utah is unable to match, Covington could provide somewhat of a solution for them. He’s not the shooter that Ingles is, but he has the potential to be an even better defender and his quickness and athleticism could help him develop into a much needed offensive contributor for the Jazz.