Robert Covington will benefit from playing with Embiid

Robert Covington could become the biggest beneficiary of playing with Joel Embiid this season.

The 76ers small forward figures to get a lot of open looks when Embiid draws double teams on the block. Through three preseason games, Covington is quietly shooting 40 percent (6 of 15) on three-pointers and averaging 7.0 points.

"So it's getting a feel for how teams are playing," said the fourth-year veteran, who has made 36.8 percent of his career three-pointers.

But he doesn't want folks to get it twisted. His role will be much more than just standing in a corner and shooting threes. Covington showed last season that he's an improved defender. He welcomes the role of a so-called "three-and-D" player.

"Coach [Brett Brown] asked me to do a lot more on the defensive end like he did last year," Covington said. "I'm going to keep growing as a defender, becoming a two-way player."

On the offensive side, the Sixers want him to move to different spots and improve his shot selection, taking advantage of open shots. They don't want him to force things.

T.J. McConnell is showing that he can score if need be. The second-year point guard is averaging 10 points, 4.6 assists, 3.7 rebounds and 2 steals through three preseason games.

McConnell is also shooting 50 percent from the field and has made all five of his free throws. The former Arizona standout, however, needs to cut down on his turnovers. He leads the team with 10.

He's in the starting lineup because Jerryd Bayless is sidelined with left wrist soreness. McConnell and Sergio Rodriguez are battling for the backup point guard position.

Joel Embiid, Sergio Rodriguez, Bayless, and Covington have some sort of ties with the Grizzlies. Bayless played the 2012-13 season and part of the 2013-14 campaign in Memphis. Grizzlies guard Wayne Selden and Embiid were teammates and roommates at Kansas during the 2013-14 season. That same season, Covington and Memphis forward Chandler Parsons were teammates with the Houston Rockets. Rodriguez and Marc Gasol were teammates on the Spanish national team.

The Grizzlies cut former Sixers point guard Tony Wroten on Friday. It marked the fourth time he has been let go by a team in 11 months. The Sixers waived him on Dec. 24.

Memphis claimed Wroten off waivers from the Knicks two days later before cutting him on July 12. The Grizzlies re-signed Wroten on Aug. 8 before waiving him last week.