The New York Knicks are currently reeling from not acquiring Donovan Mitchell from the Utah Jazz. The Knicks had been leading the pack in the Mitchell sweepstakes all offseason long, but ended up watching the Cleveland Cavaliers come in and snatch him up at the last second. Now, the Knicks training camp is going to be all about finding out whether the players on their roster are going to be able to lead this team back to the postseason after a tough 2021-22 season.
For the most part, New York is bringing back the same roster from last season now that they have missed out on Mitchell. Their biggest move involved snagging Jalen Brunson away from the Dallas Mavericks in free agency, but it remains to be seen whether or not his addition will lead New York back to the postseason.
It's clear that the Knicks have a lot of solid players on their roster, which is going to give head coach Tom Thibodeau some flexibility when it comes to crafting his starting lineup. But with training camp right around the corner, it's clear that this Knicks starter from last season could be in danger of losing his starting job if things don't go his way, which should be an interesting storyline to follow throughout camp.
Knicks player in danger of losing starting job: Evan Fournier
For all intents and purposes, Evan Fournier was solid for the Knicks last season. He spaced the floor as a shooter, and played solid perimeter defense on the other end of the floor. Fournier started all 80 games he played for New York last season, and was a rare source of consistency that the team sorely missed for much of the season.
Still, Fournier only does so much when he's on the floor. He doesn't offer much as a passer or a rebounder, and he doesn't always hold up well on defense. Fournier has a higher floor than most players on the Knicks, but his ceiling is also fairly low, which limits the team's potential.
Fournier has experience both as a starter and coming off the bench, and he may find himself coming off the bench a lot more this upcoming season. That's because the Knicks have a pair of young guards in Immanuel Quickley and Quentin Grimes waiting in the wings to get more playing time. Chances are they will get that playing time considering they weren't dealt for Mitchell.
Of the two, Quickley is probably more ready to jump into the starting lineup than Grimes. Quickley has flashed his potential early on in the career as a solid offensive player who can also hold his own on defense. If he were to replace Fournier, who is the team's starting shooting guard, he'd be playing a bit out of position, but that's not a massive concern.
Quickley may be a bit less consistent than Fournier, but his ceiling is much higher. Quickly has shown the potential to be a skilled volume scorer, while also having more upside as a playmaker than Fournier. Aside from Brunson and Julius Randle, there isn't a lot of playmaking talent in the Knicks starting lineup considering both Fournier and RJ Barrett are primarily shooters.
Grimes on the other hand has the potential to basically do what Fournier does, but better. The Knicks balked at the proposition of including Grimes in a trade for Mitchell, and since they ended up missing out on Mitchell, they better play Grimes more than they did last season.
The Knicks want Fournier to be a three-and-d player, but he's basically a league average version of that player profile. Grimes has the potential to be that type of player for New York. He flashed at times during his limited playing time with New York last season, and if Thibodeau prefers to bring Quickley off the bench behind Brunson, it may make sense to replace Fournier with Grimes.
There's also a chance Derrick Rose could force Fournier out of the lineup, as he appears set to return from an ankle injury that held him out for most of the previous season. Rose may be better served off the bench, though, considering how good Quickley looked last season.
This isn't really the result of Fournier doing anything wrong, but rather the Knicks needing to improve. With Fournier in their lineup, the Knicks potential is capped. Adding a young player such as Quickley or Grimes could allow New York to take the next forward in their development. After missing out on Mitchell, the Knicks are going to have to make some changes if they want to improve, and dropping Evan Fournier from the lineup could be a decent first move to make.
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