LA Clippers shooting guard Norman Powell has been one of the positive surprises of the 2024-25 season so far, stepping seamlessly into the vacancy left in the Clippers starting lineup by the departure of forward Paul George, who joined the Philadelphia 76ers in free agency. The ten-year veteran has enjoyed the best season of his career, averaging a career-high 23.9 points per game and shooting a scalding 50.7% from three.
Powell returned from a six-game injury absence on December 1 and has put up 29.0 points per game in two contests since, but he will miss Wednesday’s clash against the Minnesota Timberwolves at the brand-new Intuit Dome while managing his ailing left hamstring.
With Powell out, forward Amir Coffey ($3,800 Fadeaway) will regain his spot in the starting lineup. Given his sharpshooting ability and cheap salary, Coffey could be an excellent value play, even against a tough Timberwolves defense
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SF/PF Amir Coffey, LA Clippers vs. Minnesota Timberwolves, $3,800
Powell’s breakout season has been one of the stories of the NBA season, but Coffey’s improvement has flown under the radar. The southpaw is having the best year of his six-year career, averaging double-digit points for the first time while shooting a career-best 43.8% from beyond the arc. His improved play made him head coach Tyronn Lue’s preferred choice during Powell’s injury layoff in a deep LA rotation.
During the first game that Powell missed, a 104-93 win over the Orlando Magic on November 20, Coffey immediately repaid Lue’s faith by dropping 18 points on six-for-10 shooting from the field. Although he was inconsistent for the rest of his stint in the starting lineup, he is generally trending well, having scored double-digit points in each of the last three games. Most recently, Coffey scored 19 points in just 23 minutes in a blowout win over the Portland Trail Blazers on Wednesday night.
The Timberwolves are a tough matchup for opposing forwards, especially marksmen like Coffey. With long-armed Jaden McDaniels, a 2023-24 All-Defensive honoree averaging a career-high 1.2 steals per game, and four-time Defensive Player of the Year Rudy Gobert roaming around Minnesota’s back line, opponents have attempted just 33.8 three-point attempts per game, the second-fewest in the league.
Still, given Coffey’s cheap salary, hot form, and the Clippers’ egalitarian offensive approach, I like his chances of rewarding DFS players on Wednesday night in Powell’s absence.
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All views expressed are my own. I am an employee of DraftKings and am ineligible to play in public DFS or DKSB contests.
