Amir Coffey may be the new guy in town, but that doesn't mean he doesn't know anyone after signing with the Milwaukee Bucks. Coffey, who had spent his entire NBA career up until this point with the LA Clippers, is set to reunite with Doc Rivers, who coached him during his rookie year in 2019-20 and is now the head coach in Milwaukee.
That isn't a coincidence. During his brief appearance at Milwaukee Bucks Media Day, Coffey made it clear that his connection with Rivers made coming to Milwaukee the right move for him.
"Closer to the end [of free agency], I got on the phone with Doc, and we had a couple of good conversations. I felt comfortable with the decision I made to come here and start back up with him...
I've already been in Doc's system, so I kind of know how he coaches... It felt like the right decision for me."
Amir Coffey reunites with Doc Rivers
Coffey certainly didn't play his best minutes under Rivers. In fact, he only averaged 8.8 minutes per game across 18 contests as a rookie. Yet, that doesn't mean the forward, who was 22 at the time, didn't get the full Rivers experience. He went through practices, film sessions, and gamedays with Rivers at the helm and learned from him at a crucial point in his life. That matters.
Rivers left such an imprint on Coffey that he felt comfortable enough taking a training camp contract, which doesn't even guarantee him a home in a few weeks. Now, it's time to see whether reuniting with Rivers can ignite something in Coffey. He has a golden opportunity to make a roster that could use a quality piece at small forward, but he will have to earn it. He certainly has the tools to do so.
If Coffey does indeed make his way onto this roster, Rivers could certainly look to build off their past connection in Los Angeles. One of the most pressing question marks on this Milwaukee Bucks team is the small forward position, and a two-way energizer like Coffey could certainly help. Based on his comments about contacting Doc Rivers, it sounds like the coach is also a believer.
An underrated piece of the puzzle here is how much players respect Doc Rivers and will come back to play for him if given the chance. During his short tenure with the Milwaukee Bucks, former players like Patrick Beverley and Danilo Gallinari made their respect for Rivers clear. Gallinari, in particular, came to the Bucks specifically to play under Rivers once again, per former insider Adrian Wojnarowski.
Coffey is the latest player to reunite with Rivers, and who knows, perhaps he won't be the last either. That could potentially be a valuable asset to have down the line.
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