Once the hardest things become habits, they don't feel how difficult it is. That's the case with the Clippers. In the eyes of other teams, it is difficult to fall behind 24+ reversals, and the Clippers are stunned to do it 3 times in 2 weeks. And today, with the absence of a dual core, Amir Kofi and Luke Kennad have teamed up to lead a stunning reversal. One won the Clippers' top score while setting a new career record, while the other played the lone hero in the final moments. The Cacho combination is gone, and they are the Clippers' new duo.
Reversing the Wizards with a maximum of 35 points behind, the Clippers have one more wrong under the knife this season. Coffey scored 29 points, 5 rebounds and 2 steals on 10-of-21 shooting, raising his career single-game scoring record by 8 points, and he had previously scored 21 points in a single game on many occasions; Kennard ushered in a moment named after himself, scoring 7 points in the last 7 seconds, including a 3+1 kill, and did not lose the miracles of "Miller moment" and "35 seconds and 13 minutes". In the absence of the Cacho group, Kofi became the new duo of the Clippers, both of whom are not yet 26 years old and have not yet played for the Clippers for more than 3 seasons. After Tylen Lu coached, the Clippers, who were previously "reverse professional households", have now become "reverse professional households", and the team's temperament has changed. And this also laid the groundwork for the Clippers to rush to the crown after the lineup was completed.
Coffey was born in Hopkins, Minnesota, on June 17, 1997. Coming from basketball family, his father, Richard Kofi, was a 1990 NBA draft picker who played 52 games for the Timberwolves in the 1990–91 season, and then mixed in the secondary leagues and traveled to Turkey, Spain and Japan to pan for gold. Coffey also has an older sister, Nia Kofi, who was drafted by the San Antonio Star with the 5th pick in the 2017 WNBA Draft and now plays for the Los Angeles Spark.
Kofi, who is still on a two-way contract, spent his high school years at Hopkins High School in his hometown. He was named Mr. Basketball of Minnesota during his senior season and was named the best high school student in Minnesota by the Associated Press. Averaging 19.9 points per game that season, he was named a four-star high school student and ranked 32nd in the 2016 Class of 100 high schools in the United States.
Subsequently, Coffey came to the University of Minnesota and followed in his father's footsteps. In his freshman year, he averaged 12.2 points, 3.8 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game, becoming the team's second-largest scorer and being named to the New Year Team of the Big Ten Division. In his junior season, Kofi averaged 16.6 points, 3.6 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game, and was selected as the best third team in the Big Ten Division.
However, the door of the NBA is not easy to open for the Kofi father and son. Like his father 29 years ago, Coffey also lost in 2019, fortunately he was favored by the Clippers. This season is a breakthrough year for Kofi at the Clippers. More than half a month ago, on Jan. 9, during the Clippers' game against the Grizzlies, Coffey was transferred to the starting line by Lu and has not changed to this day, with a total of 14 starts so far this season. In the first two seasons of his career, Kofi played 62 games for the Clippers, starting only 2 games.
Kofi has a defense above league level, and his three-pointers have improved this season, averaging 3.1 three-pointers per game, shooting 38.2% from the field, and shooting stability has increased significantly. In addition, Kofi can also participate in the offensive and defensive conversion, but the ball is not his strength, more towards a qualified 3D player. For Kofi, Director Lu has a classic assessment: "He is a player who will never hurt the team after playing." ”
Compared to Kofi, Kennard is famous. Kenard was born in Middleton, Ohio, on June 24, 1996, and spent his early years at Franklin High School in his hometown. In his senior year of high school, Kenard was named High School Student of the Year and was named Ohio High School Student of the Year for the second consecutive year.
In addition to basketball, Kennard is also the star quarterback of the school football team. Interestingly, Kennard, who plays basketball with his left hand, and his right hand on the rugby field, can be described as "opening the bow left and right", from which he can glimpse his outstanding athletic talent.
After graduating from high school in 2015, Kennard ranked 24th among the top 100 high school students in the United States that year. He was the second-highest-scoring high school student in Ohio history and even left James behind.
Kennard then came to Duke. In his freshman year, Kennard averaged 11.8 points and 3.6 rebounds per game; in his sophomore season, Kennard's average per game ballooned to 1.5 points and 5.1 rebounds, shooting 48.9 percent overall and 43.8 percent from three-point range. That season, Kennard led Duke to the ACC Division, was elected MVP of the ACC Championship, and was named to the ACC Division's Best First Team and the National Best Second Team.
In the 2017 draft, 4 Duke players were selected at the same time, and it was passed as a good story, and Kennard was one of them. He was picked by the Pistons with the 12th pick and second out of four players, behind Tatum, who was selected as a tandem.
Coming to the pistons that have made few playoffs in the past 10 seasons and are almost forgotten by the NBA, Kennard grew rapidly, and by the third season, he averaged 15.8 points, 3.5 rebounds and 4.1 assists per game, shooting 44.2% from the field and 39.9% from three-point range, playing a career-best performance and sitting firmly at the starting point. But the good times were short-lived, due to the impact of tendonitis in the knee, Kennard only played 28 games this season and was reimbursed for the season, and the Pistons said goodbye to him.
A three-way deal in the 2020 offseason brought Kennard from Motor City to Los Angeles. In the first season of the team, Kennard's role plummeted, the average number of shots per game fell to the lowest since the rookie season, but handed over the best efficiency of his career, 60.8% true shooting rate set a career record, and the Clippers also offered a four-year, 64 million contract in the offseason. This season, due to the injury in the team, Kenard's role intensified, and the average playing time and number of shots per game rebounded across the board, and the second single season of his career averaged double figures per game.
Kennard is a typical Duke player with excellent shooting skills. This season, he averaged 6.4 three-pointers per game and shot 43 percent from the field, the second-highest in his career. In addition, Kennard has an underestimated organizational ability, the style of play is active and dare to fight, can participate in the demolition, but the ball, breakthrough and defense are not his strengths, and the explosive power is insufficient.
After today's game, the so-called "Clipper spirit" did not go away, and no one expected that it was Kofi and Kennard who fully interpreted this spirit today. I don't know what content the excellent performance of these two can send to the Kacho group, but I think both of them will show a smile. (Supine Braces/Hairy)