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Evan Fournier probably heard all the insults in the book after going scoreless in his Boston Celtics debut earlier this week. Brad Stevens knows this and knew the French shooter will look to bounce back sooner rather than later.
True enough, Fournier proves his doubters wrong in Boston's match-up against the Houston Rockets at TD Garden on Friday. The Celtics ran away with an easy 118-102 win, as their prized trade deadline recruit pitched in 23 points in 30 minutes.
He nailed seven 3-pointers in his third game in Celtic green, tied for second-most coming from a bench player in franchise history.
Evan Fournier has made 7 3-pointers tonight, tied for the 2nd-most by a player off the bench in Celtics history.
Eddie House made 8 on January 28, 2009 vs Kings. pic.twitter.com/WShQQqhd2y
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) April 3, 2021
Early on, it seemed that Fournier is once again off to a lackluster night, scoring just three points in the first three quarters. He owned the final 12 minutes of the game, though, scoring 20 points in the period making eight of his 13 field goals, and going 7-of-11 from past the arc.
After the game, Celtics coach Brad Stevens lauded the veteran guard for calling his own number despite not having a lot of plays drawn for him for the majority of the contest.
Brad Stevens said he can already tell Evan Fournier isn’t a guy who rides the emotional roller coaster. Said he didn’t seem bothered after going 0 for 10 in his debut or after the Celtics didn’t give him enough touches in his second game.
— Jay King (@ByJayKing) April 3, 2021
Fournier figured in undoubtedly one of the worst debuts in league history when he went 0-for-10 from the field in 33 minutes against the New Orleans Pelicans. It didn't help that the 6-foot-7 swingman just scored six points in their ensuing game against the Dallas Mavericks.
Evan Fournier Celtics debut:
33 MINS
0 PTS
0-10 FG
0-5 3PThat’s the most scoreless minutes by a Celtic with 10+ attempts since the three-point era (1980). pic.twitter.com/vPZmZXADDJ
— StatMuse (@statmuse) March 30, 2021
Fournier, of course, was Boston's prized acquisition from the trade deadline. Those two poor performances had pundits doubting if the Celtics made the right call on giving up two second-round draft picks and Jeff Teague.
Fournier, meanwhile, admitted he will be sleeping soundly tonight after his fine outing.
Evan Fournier: "It feels even better that we got the win. It's my first win as a Celtic. And it's just a good overall night. I'm going to enjoy my glass of wine tonight and sleep really well."
— Jay King (@ByJayKing) April 3, 2021
Evan Fournier said he always tries to stay in the moment. Said he's played nine years in the NBA, knows who he is and knows what he's capable of doing. Knew going 0 for 10 in his debut wouldn't define him.
— Jay King (@ByJayKing) April 3, 2021
Evan Fournier said his challenge will be learning how to fit in with the Celtics players.
"The more I'm going to understand about what the guys are trying to do and how I'm getting my shots, the better I will be able to perform."
— Jay King (@ByJayKing) April 3, 2021
The Celtics snapped their two-game skid and it's no coincidence that they did so after Fournier's impressive performance. He will surely be a vital piece for Brad Stevens moving forward, as they try to climb back up the East standings.
