Finally, it's confirmed. The Milwaukee Bucks plan to include Amir Coffey on the regular-season roster, reports insider Michael Scotto of HoopsHype. Coffey wasted no time winning over fans in training camp, as well as his one-time Clippers head coach, Doc Rivers.
As the preseason came to a close, the six-year wing making the team seemed little short of a foregone conclusion. The Bucks waiving Chris Livingston only solidified the expectations that Scotto's report confirms. Just four days before opening night, it's exactly the news many fans wanted to hear.
Coffey update brings growing hunch to fruition
Coffey's roster fit was apparent from the get-go. The Bucks were missing a larger wing capable of handling a variety of defensive assignments, a need Coffey fills quite nicely. In year six with the Clippers, the 6-foot-7 forward averaged a career-high 9.7 points per game and shot 40.9 percent from 3-point range while providing sturdy defense.
As a late-offseason signing on a non-guaranteed Exhibit 9 deal, however, for a while, his place on the 15-man unit seemed anything but certain. After signing Coffey and Thanasis Antetokounmpo, the Bucks had 15 players on guaranteed contracts and two on partially or non-guaranteed ones in Coffey and Andre Jackson Jr.
Even after waiving Livingston (and eating his $2.3 million guaranteed salary), the Bucks still need to cut another player. It won't be Coffey, which boosts their prospects next season as the front office bears down in win-now mode.
While he might not see major minutes, he provides a much higher floor of production than someone like Livingston or Tyler Smith, who ClutchPoints' Brett Siegel reports will likely be the final roster cut. Even compared to Jackson, who started 43 games last season, Coffey is a more proven contributor. In three of his last four seasons in Los Angeles, he averaged over 20 minutes off the bench as a serviceable 3-and-D option.
Although his defensive chops may be overrated, Coffey still gives the Bucks a wing defender preferable to someone like Taurean Prince, who is sturdy defensively but more suited to guard threes and small-ball fours. Coffey, on the other hand, has a better chance to keep up with nimbler players.
It also helps his case that he and Rivers share a connection from Coffey's rookie season with the Clippers. While things seemed a bit murky in the aftermath of the signing, it didn't take long for the Bucks' stance to gain clarity after hearing Coffey's confidence at media day as well as Rivers' reiterated praise. He should be a key contributor at the back end of Milwaukee's rotation.