Where the Knicks went wrong with Evan Fournier
The Knicks have had an offseason that one could describe as simple.
Building off a second round playoff exit, the Knicks shipped out power forward Obi Toppin in a trade with the Indiana Pacers while adding guard Donte DiVincenzo in free agency.
New York’s relatively quiet offseason was gently shaken by a player who didn’t even crack the team’s rotation for much of last season.
This week, Knicks veteran guard Evan Fournier voiced his displeasure with head coach Tom Thibodeau and his limited role with the Knicks in an interview with French media outlet, L’Equipe.
“You want to spit on everyone. You have hatred,” Fournier said. “Derrick Rose and I looked at each and said to each other: ‘What the hell are we doing here?’ During the five-on-five practice, we were on the side like some prospects. Uncool times. And when I realized that wouldn’t change, I took things more slowly. I focused on myself and didn’t let the rest get to me anymore.”
Fournier began the year as a starter, but lost his spot after just seven games. Six games later, he was benched.
Overall, Fournier appeared in just 27 games and posted 6.1 points, 1.8 rebounds and 1.3 assists. Fournier shot just 33.7 percent from the field and 30.7 percent from the three-point line.
Fournier is entering the third year of a four-year, $73 million deal he signed in the 2021 offseason, so the deal is essentially an expiring contract. He is earning over $18 million for the 2023-24 season and the Knicks have a club option of $19 million for the 2024-25 season.
The decision to bench Fournier was the right one in the end.
The Knicks were 6-7 when Thibodeau decided to remove Fournier completely from the rotation, and found their groove when Thibodeau elected to have a nine-man rotation.
New York’s defensive scheme relies heavily on perimeter defenders helping on the pick-and-roll while being able to quickly recover to potential open shooters.
It’s something young stalwarts such as Immanuel Quickley and Quentin Grimes excelled at, whereas Fournier was the opposite. Defense has never been Fournier’s strength and as he approaches 31, it’s not something he will likely improve at.
Seeing Fournier’s situation with the Knicks blow up is a reminder of one of the few gaffes the current Knicks front office under Leon Rose has made.
Responding to a 4-1 drubbing in the first round at the hands of the Atlanta Hawks, the Knicks were exposed as a limited offensive team unable to produce in the half-court consistently.
Looking to alleviate some pressure off Julius Randle, the Knicks added backcourt help in the form of Walker and Fournier. The hope was that both players would provide some playmaking, floor spacing and off the dribble creation on the perimeter.
Fournier did provide perimeter shooting, as he set the team-record for three-pointers made (241) on 38.9 percent shooting from three in 2021-22. But the Knicks allowed 2.3 more points per 100 possessions with him on the floor per NBA stats.
Walker was also a major liability as he was benched from the starting rotation midseason.
In the Knicks trying to address one problem, they created another defensively as they dropped from third to 11th in defensive efficiency. It’s a good lesson as it’s clear that to fit Thibodeau’s coaching style, wing players need to be adept defensively.
A consistent pattern
Fournier’s souring relationship with Thibodeau is not an anomaly, it seems that several players in the Thibodeau era have been banished with no chance of a return to playing time.
Rose played a combined four minutes and 51 seconds in 2023. Cam Reddish never played after early December. As previously mentioned, Walker was benched, and before that, Austin Rivers was in the doghouse during the 2020-21 season.
In the end, all of these rotation decisions were right and helped the Knicks in the long run.
It is sure to create some discomfort if Fournier does return to the team next season, but his contract has been bandied about as a potential key piece of a larger trade to acquire a star.
Though Fournier wants an exit from the Knicks, it would make sense to hold on to the contract as long as possible considering any other key players in a potential trade such as Quickley or Grimes are still on rookie scale contracts and would be too small to match a star player level salary.
