On April 11, 2022, the Los Angeles Clippers ushered in their final regular season game of the season. On April 13, the day after tomorrow, the Clippers will have the first game of the playoffs, against the Timberwolves. Although the Clippers' regular season record ranking is not as good as the Timberwolves, the Clippers led the Timberwolves 3-1 in the direct confrontation between the two teams this season. Although Leonard has not yet returned, the strength of the Clippers is obvious to all.
This season, the Clippers have been unable to align the lineup due to injuries, but they still showed great resilience. The Clippers' forward group has left a deep impression on the fans and opponents. And among the Clippers' front line, there is a player who can play a dazzling performance in games with enough playing time, which can be called the killer of the Clippers bench, and this player is Amir Kofi.
In today's game against the Thunder, Kofi played 42 minutes and 41 seconds, shooting 13-of-22, and cut down a comprehensive stat of 35 points, 14 boards and 5 assists. Although Kofi had not been able to play much in the previous three games, a large part of the reason was that he had too little playing time. In previous games against the Bucks, he played 42.5 minutes and scored 32 points, 6 boards and 7 assists. Against the 76ers, he played 37.6 minutes and scored 21 points, 4 boards and 3 assists. Given enough time, even against playoff teams, Kofi could surprise fans. Such players may even play the role of the Wizards in the playoffs.
So far this season, he has averaged 22.7 minutes per game, scored 9 points, 2.9 boards, 1.8 assists, 0.6 steals, shot 45.3% from the field, and shot 37.8% from three-point range, making his overall performance much better than last season. Fans familiar with Amir Kofi know that he was a lost draft winner who was contracted by the Clippers in the 19-20 season. But in the previous two seasons, he hadn't had a lot of opportunities. Perhaps because there are not many opportunities, Kofi will do his best every time he plays. In the offseason, the Clippers gave Coffey a two-way contract with a salary of only 462,000, and at the end of last month, the Clippers cut Ojeley to help him turn right. Unexpectedly, the Clippers lacked major generals, and Kofi also ushered in his own opportunity. Kofi played his own value this season. If you look at the value of his contribution, it is at least more than ten times the annual salary of his contract. After the expiration of this year's offseason contract, I believe that Kofi will also get a good contract. How big this contract can be depends on the Performance of the Clippers in the Playoffs.
If Leonard can't make a comeback, the Clippers will need more players to step up. I don't know if Kofi will bring some surprises to Clippers fans in the playoffs, or even become a hero of the team in a certain game.