Ex- Orlando teammate Nikola Vucevic talks Evan Fournier’s fit with the Boston Celtics
Even though he has been on the roster of the Boston Celtics since the 2021 NBA trade deadline, veteran shooting guard Evan Fournier is still a bit of a mystery to fans of his new team, having been sidelined after just a handful of games with the Celtics with a lengthy stay in the league’s health and safety protocols.
So if you want to know more about the former Orlando Magic wing, few people would be better able to speak to the king of player and teammate he is than former Magic center Nikola Vucevic, who spoke at length about Fournier in a recent interview with The Athletic’s Jay King.
“I think it’s a very good fit for him,” said Vucevic of his former teammate’s future with Boston.
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"He’s going to play alongside some very good players: [Jayson] Tatum, [Jaylen] Brown, Kemba [Walker], Marcus Smart, all those guys who are there," added the now-Chicago Bulls big man. "I think that it’s going to make his game easier, it’s going to open up a lot of things for him. I think it’s also going to help them. His shooting will open up a lot on the court for them. He’s just a good playmaker." https://twitter.com/TheCelticsWire/status/1384914860530704386?s=20
We saw flashes of it in the few games Fournier has played so far with the Celtics, such as his 23-point outing against the Houston Rockets or his 17-point, 6-assist tilt vs. the Charlotte Hornets, both games in the first week of April. The passing and offensive punch the Frenchman provided off the bench seemed to jolt a slumbering Boston franchise back to an alertness on both ends of the court not seen since early in the season. https://twitter.com/TheCelticsWire/status/1384869577360920577?s=20
"He does show a lot of emotions on the court, which I think Celtics fans will love about him," added Vucevic.
"He plays hard, he competes. He’s a guy that will play through injuries. He’ll never make excuses. If he doesn’t do well, he’ll admit it himself. If he plays well, he won’t try to take too much credit, he’ll stay humble. He’s just going to do whatever the team asks him to do. He’s somebody who competes hard, I think the Celtics fans will really enjoy that about him. He’s a very hard-nosed player, his approach is kind of old-school, kind of grinding through everything."
"He doesn’t ask for rest or any of those things, so I think Celtics fans will appreciate a lot about him," explained the Montenegrin big man. https://twitter.com/TheCelticsWire/status/1384824281440342018?s=20
"He just gives them another scoring option that I think they were kind of missing with Gordon Hayward leaving. I think he can definitely fulfill that – he did a lot of scoring for us in Orlando," suggests Vucevic. Truth be told, Fournier has slid right into that playmaking wing role almost seamlessly in the limited sample size the team has to draw on to date. "I think he’ll fit right in. I think he can adjust to playing with those guys no problem." This post originally appeared on Celtics Wire. Follow us on Facebook! [lawrence-related id=49296,49287,49284,49280] [listicle id=49293]
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