Years of work paying off for former Gophers star Amir Coffey with Clippers

Coffey had a breakout performance on Monday night.

Oct 14, 2024; Inglewood, California, USA; LA Clippers guard Amir Coffey (7) reacts against the Dallas Mavericks during the second half at Intuit Dome. Mandatory Credit: Jonathan Hui-Imagn Images | Jonathan Hui-Imagn Images

Since going undrafted in 2019, former Gophers star Amir Coffey has had a long journey to become an NBA role player. In the final season of a three-year, $11 million contract, he might be looking at his most successful campaign as a pro.

In the Clippers' win over the Spurs on Monday night, Coffey scored 21 points on 8-of-10 shooting, including 5-of-6 from beyond the arc. It was the most points he scored in an NBA game since the final game of the regular season in 2022, when he had 35.

Former #Gopher star Amir Coffey had a big game last night for the Clippers

21 points
FGs: (8-10)
3P: (5-6)
6 rebounds

pic.twitter.com/b1KtyizN2y

— Tony Liebert (@TonyLiebert) November 5, 2024

"Years, years. It's just reps. Shooting the ball with confidence and knocking down your open shots," Coffey said after the game. "They give us a green light — everybody on offense, so just being aggressive."

A big reason for Coffey going undrafted coming out of Minnesota was his struggles from beyond the arc. He shot 32.8% from 3 in his college career. Through seven games this season with the Clippers, he is shooting a career-high 58.8% from long range.

Paul George is now on the 76ers and star forward Kawhi Leonard is out for the foreseeable future with an injury. So far this season, Coffey is fifth on the team, averaging 8.6 points per game. He is competing with Derrick Jones Jr. and Terrence Mann for minutes, but he has shown to be the most efficient and the door is wide open for a bigger role.

The University of Minnesota has not been known for producing NBA talent in recent memory, but Coffey is finally emerging on a Clippers roster that features the program's most recent draft pick, 2023-24 Gophers freshman star Cam Christie.

Coffey averaged a career-high 9.0 points per game in 2021-22, which went a long way in securing him the three-year contract. Now 27 years old, he is proving that he's just getting started as a pro and he could be looking at a big payday this offseason.