When the Knicks first signed Evan Fournier, he was the highlight of their 2021 free agency haul, coming off a near-20 point per game half-year with Orlando before moving to Boston. Just two seasons later, he fell out of the rotation, hit the trading block, and then entered training camp in purgatory.
Fournier’s swift decline from starting rotation piece to deep bench reserve has come as a shock to many, especially given his $18 million a year contract and recent international play.
Perhaps even more shocking is how quickly he’s put himself in position to reclaim a rotation spot that seemingly abandoned him.
Before we get to this preseason, it’s important to remember what made Fournier so valuable to the Knicks in the first place: his shooting. Fournier was a career 38 percent marksman from deep before signing with New York, able to spread the floor with his catch-and-shoot game while providing some complementary ball-handling and shot-creation.
In his first year as a Knick he delivered from distance despite a poor team campaign, hitting 39 percent on 7.7 attempts per game and averaging 14 points. His defense wasn’t stout and everything below the arc regressed, but he did enough to walk into 2022-23’s training camp with the starting job.
That’s when it went off the rails for Fournier, as he and the team struggled mightily out of the gates, until an early December rotation change inserted the young Quentin Grimes in his place and removed him from the rotation altogether.
The Knicks had one of the top net ratings in the league from that point, storming into the playoffs and through the first round, effectively ending Fournier’s claim to a reserve role.
Fournier still appeared in some games after the turnaround thanks to injuries, but looked uncomfortable and never reached the levels he was at the year prior or in Orlando. After some blunt remarks from Fournier this summer about finding a new home via trade, the Knicks have yet to deal him, likely holding onto his large contract as cap filler for a future deal.
One would think this would make for an awkward situation in the locker room — perhaps a James Harden or Ben Simmons-esque holdout. But Fournier has come in and accepted the situation, acting as a pure professional trying to earn his way back into his coach’s graces.
In trying to keep the relationship from fraying too much and perhaps build up his trade value, Fournier has played a healthy amount in both preseason outings despite not being in the projected rotation.
In that time, he’s been pretty good. In 20 minutes against Boston, he went 3-for-7 from three and notched 11 points, followed by 19 minutes and 15 points on 3-for-6 from three against Minnesota.
The defense is still questionable, but Fournier looked more aggressive and springy in attacking the rim, and nobody can argue with those shooting results. There are still too many cooks in the kitchen, but is it possible after last year’s flameout and all the offseason drama that Fournier may have a real spot on this roster?
Consider the length of the NBA season and the many injuries and other absences it holds. There will be rare occasions when the Knicks are fully 100 percent healthy, meaning guys will have to step up.
After the solidified nine-man rotation, the Knicks have three best available options — Fournier, Miles McBride and Jericho Sims. Fournier is the only wing and only strong shooter of that group, and floor spacing is a specific need they’ve worked to fill over the last few years.
Who’s to say Thibodeau doesn’t move to more of a 10-man rotation? He’s long preferred it, though moved to shorten his rotation out of desperation last year.
This year, he may want to preserve some of his starters’ regular season minutes for the postseason, or see more of those fringe young guys, which would make a 10-man more of an option. Fournier could get a real chance, especially given the roster construction’s lack of taller wings.
Part of what makes this Knicks team special is their dedication to simply having as many good NBA players as possible — signified by New York and the Warriors being the only teams with six top 100 players, per ESPN. Having Fournier, who started in the playoffs just two seasons ago, as an emergency wing seems to fit with that ideology.
This all likely ends with Fournier being traded, but the journey is important, too. If he can still shoot it like he’s done his entire career, to put it in his words, he can “help the team.”