When Evan Fournier ended up with the New York Knicks in a trade with the Boston Celtics in 2021, he was thought to be a big part of what the team was going to do, as he is a talented shooter and scorer.
Despite some success with the team initially, he has fallen out of the rotation and is stuck watching from the bench, even though he has shown the team on more than one occasion what he can do when given the green light and the time on the basketball floor.
Fellow Frenchman and national team teammate Ruby Gobert of the Minnesota Timberwolves doesn’t understand why the Knicks coaching staff is treating Fournier the way that they are, especially considering that New York is a legitimate playoff team in the Eastern Conference.
According to Stefan Bondy of the New York Post via NBA Central, Gobert unleashed on the Knicks’ treatment of Fournier, claiming it’s “weird” the way they’re using him.
Rudy Gobert finds it ‘weird’ that Evan Fournier is on the Knicks bench
“He’s the best shooter on the team. He’s the best shooter on the Knicks… I think he can contribute and help a lot of teams. I think everybody knows it. But it’s kind of weird when you end up on the bench… pic.twitter.com/XnDL8mX8ZS
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) October 15, 2023
Gobert isn’t wrong, as it has been strange how the Knicks are using or not using Fournier, as the veteran shooter has shown what he can do in this league and deserves more time on the floor.
It’ll be interesting to see if things change for Fournier during the upcoming season and, if they don’t, if he requests to be traded, as he’s still relatively young at 30 years old and could help another team.
During his career thus far, Fournier has averaged 14.0 points, 2.7 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game, shooting 44.3% from the floor and 37.9% from beyond the arc.
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