Youth is the name of the game for the New York Knicks heading into the season. Veteran talent is also scattered in their roster but it looks like Coach Tom Thibodeau will focus on more athletic rotation players who can jump out of the gym or shoot the lights out. Jalen Brunson, RJ Barrett, and Julius Randle are a very solid young core that they could move forward with in the future. This also means that Quentin Grimes, Immanuel Quickley, and Josh Hart are the next men up. The question that should linger in the minds of Knicks fans during the NBA Preseason is: where does Evan Fournier go?
Fournier falling out of the rotation
The roster depth for the Jalen Brunson-led team points to a second string that can all act as spark plugs. This is mostly because the Knicks starters had night-and-day performances last season. Being inconsistent cost them a couple of games and even their playoff series against the Miami Heat.
Evan Fournier was already starting to fall out of the Knicks rotation since then. It gave Immanuel Quickley and Quentin Grimes the chance to prove themselves as solid contributors. This was when Brunson and Julius Randle were having off nights. The veteran had a whole season to prove himself but 6.1 points per game on a 17-minute average will not cut it.
Evan Fournier is being given another shot during the NBA preseason and it is starting to look fairly better. He notched 11 points in 21 minutes against the Boston Celtics. But, his role as a facilitator was not as impactful to the team. A single assist was the only thing he had to show for his performance in that part of the offense.
Fournier's chances to get back into the rotation
This does not mean that his search for a roster spot is over. Quentin Grimes only notched six points while seeing the floor for 22 minutes. The main difference was that the young guard was able to impact winning without having to score much. Grimes notched four assists and grabbed three rebounds along with those buckets.
If Fournier hopes to get more minutes, he should be able to do the same and evolve his style of play. Rather than just looking to score the ball at all times. Facilitating and improving his court vision will be the x-factors such that Tom Thibodeau trusts him with more minutes.
He cannot out-hustle nor beat these guys in athletic finishes given his age. His edge would be acting as a veteran leader inside the court for his production to skyrocket. Letting the ball move through different teammates and patching up broken plays are some of the aspects that the Knicks offense lacks. Fournier is in the best position to help with that problem. He has seen a lot of these defenses thrown at him and has executed different sets in his stint within the NBA.
Not being able to do that at his age might cost him a spot in the league in general. He has three more games in the NBA Preseason to prove that he can play alongside Jalen Brunson and Julius Randle. A rough start greeted him against the Celtics. But, he should take his chances as they try to dominate the Washington Wizards, and Minnesota Timberwolves before their season opener.
Will he be able to crack a rotation spot before then or is his frustration going to get the better of him?
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