It hasn't exactly been rough sailing for the French national basketball team in the 2024 Olympics despite playing in front of their home crowd. After taking care of business in their opening game against Brazil, France ran into a more competitive than expected contest against Japan, and then they sputtered against Germany. Their loss against the reigning FIBA World Cup champion prompted Evan Fournier to call their playstyle outdated and that they must tilt the offense-defense balance towards a much favorable place.
Despite all the growing pains France has endured, they had to right the ship quickly, as they were headed for a quarterfinal game against one of the favorites to bag home a medal in the competition in Canada. This is exactly what France did. After adjusting by benching Rudy Gobert, France went on to dominate the first half, taking a 16-point lead into the intermission, and then Fournier, despite being removed from the starting lineup, came alive in the fourth — even making a bonkers deep three to seal the game.
After a silver medal finish in Tokyo, it seems like the French basketball program was going through a bit of a transition period. But this spirited performance against Canada shows that France is not a team to discount — just ask Team USA stalwart Kevin Durant.
“They played great basketball today. They feed off the crowd. We’re getting some extra energy. They had a tough game against Germany [in the Group Stage]. They know it’s pretty bad against them early on. So we’ll see how that goes. But, you know, it’s a different game right now. It’s a different time. So I’m sure they’ll be ready to play,” Durant said, via Aris Barkas of Eurohoops.
Evan Fournier turns back the hands of time, leads France to victory
In the first half, it was Isaia Cordinier and Guerschon Yabusele who took center stage for France. But with Canada inevitably not letting the game be decided after just 20 minutes, France needed the veteran stability and shot-making Evan Fournier provided — and he delivered in a big way.
Fournier was France's go-to-guy in the clutch, as he made a slew of tough baskets to keep Canada at bay. He may not have pleased head coach Vincent Collet with his remarks about the team's system, but Fournier showed how well he could work his magic if given the space to create.
Currently, Evan Fournier is a free agent. He's playing for a new contract, so don't expect him to stop assuming primary offensive-creation duties for France anytime soon, especially with a tough semifinal matchup against Germany coming up.
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