INGLEWOOD — He is a reluctant star, skipping out before reporters could ask him about a career night earlier this month. He jokes that he is allergic to the media, pushing up his sleeves to show a non-existent rash.
Yet, the more Amir Coffey puts up significant numbers, the more the shy Clippers shooting guard is going to find himself in the spotlight – like it or not.
Like Wednesday night, when he sat at the podium answering questions about his latest showing. Coffey, starting in place of injured guard Norman Powell, scored 18 points on 6-of-10 shooting, including going 4 for 7 from 3-point range, with four rebounds and one assist in the Clippers’ 104-93 victory over the Orlando Magic.
Coffey was the team’s second-leading scorer on Wednesday, trailing only James Harden (24) and will get another chance at starting Friday night against the Sacramento Kings because Powell continues to be bothered by a sore left hamstring.
“It felt good,” Coffey said. “I try not to get into minutes-wise or coming off the bench or starting. I just try to do my job when my name is called, so I got it going early tonight.”
Coffey’s numbers weren’t an anomaly. Already this season, he has scored in double figures seven times, including a 21-point performance against the San Antonio Spurs on Nov. 4 (the one he didn’t want to talk about).
And he has had bigger games over his five years with the Clippers (9-7). There was a career high 35-point effort in 2022 against the Oklahoma City Thunder, preceded by a 32-point game against the Milwaukee Bucks nine days earlier.
He said there isn’t any magic formula to his shooting. He takes his shot when he sees it.
“Just shooting the ball when I’m open,” Coffey, 25, said. “I mean, we all got different actions. I kind of try to find the right spacing where my teammates can find me. Shooting open shots, just playing within the flow of offense and T-Lue gives everybody the green light to be aggressive.
“So, it kind of just makes it easier for everybody. Everybody’s looking for the shot, everybody’s being aggressive. Tonight is my night. Next game, it could be somebody else’s.”
Coffey is seeing more opportunity in the offense, mostly off the bench in Lue’s second unit. He is averaging 10.1 points and shooting 46.4% from beyond the 3-point line. He said Harden’s presence is largely the reason.
“We have a player in James that creates a lot for himself and for others,” Coffey said. “The man [draws] doubles and blitzes, so it kind of opens it up for everybody. So just playing off of him kind of makes it easier for everybody because of the way [opponents] guard him.
“Like I said, just being in the right spots, knowing where the ball’s going to end up, knowing where the ball’s going to be and just shooting open shots.”
The road to being an integral part of the Clippers has been long and, at time, rough. He was an undrafted rookie who spent his first three years on a two-way contract, which means players with less than three years in the NBA spend the season bouncing between the developmental league and the NBA, sometimes without advance notice.
“The G League is a grind, it’s a lot,” Coffey said. “So, just getting over that hump and getting to this point I’m in now, it means a lot. Like you said, the unseen hours – it’s thousands of ’em – just working on your game every day, trying to get better every summer and to end up in a position. This is a blessing.”
Although every player has their own journey, Coffey said, he recommends that any young player who finds themselves in the G League to stick with it.
“I feel like a lot of that has to do with I mentality, not getting too down on yourself, going through the G League, coming back up. So yeah, it is just work. Just continue to work, stay confident and when your name is called, just produce and hopefully that chance will come up and when it does, you got to take advantage of it.”
SACRAMENTO AT CLIPPERS
When: Friday, 7:30 p.m.
Where: Crypto.com Arena
TV/radio: FDSNSC/570 AM