How can Evan Fournier turn around his lackluster first season with the Knicks?
Over a third into his first season in New York, Evan Fournier hasn’t played to the level that his contract would suggest. But could part of the problem be usage more so than execution?
On opening night, Evan Fournier introduced himself to Knicks fans at Madison Square Garden with an epic 32-point performance, including four crucial threes in overtime to help propel the Knicks to a victory over the Celtics. What felt like immediate gratification for the Knick front office has instead become an outlier performance (outside of his matching 32-point, four-three performance vs. the Celtics the other night) in what has become — through 30 games — the worst season of Fournier’s career since he’s become a rotational NBA player.
So what’s changed? How does someone who just signed a four-year, $78 million deal in free agency look THIS bad so early in his new deal after such a promising start? Let’s take a closer look.
First and foremost it’s important to establish who Fournier is as a basketball player. There’s a common misnomer that he is just a shooter — which is true to an extent. What earned Fournier his hefty contract was everything else he brings to the table offensively. He’s a guy who can put the ball on the floor, run a pick-and-roll, draw fouls, create for others, and has some sneaky driving capabilities. In short, he profiles as a secondary creator — something the Knicks were (are) in desperate need of.
As a Knick, and even during his short stint in Boston (21 games), Fournier hasn’t been that — at least not consistently. He’s instead been relegated to mostly being a spot-up shooter with very few opportunities to create. And while his play has not been deserving of more opportunities, Fournier has never JUST been a spot-up guy. This has created a situation where if Fournier is struggling to hit shots as he is at the moment, he isn’t able to bring value in other ways offensively.
Fournier is adjusting to a new role, one that he got a taste of in Boston, where his play also saw a drop in production. Fournier went from seven seasons in Orlando where he was always one of their best ball handlers/playmakers to playing mostly as a spot-up shooter, and it hasn’t been an easy adjustment for him.
The numbers tell the same story. Per Cleaning the Glass:
Fournier is at the second-lowest usage (19.5%) in his career
Highest assisted rate on makes in his career (74%)
Fourth-lowest TS% in his career (.550%)
Lowest AST% in his career (9.9%)
92% of his made 3-pointers are assisted — highest in his career
Lowest percentage of shots at the rim in his career by a wide margin (16%)
Highest percentage of his 3-pointers taken from the corner in his career (12%)
Highest 3-point rate of his career (57%)
So what exactly do these numbers suggest?
Fournier is less involved in the offense than he’s ever been in his career. His role has shifted from primarily being an initiator in Orlando to a play finisher in New York. The ball is not only his hands less, but he’s also not getting the ball where he feels most comfortable.
Per NBA.com, Fournier is averaging 37.2 touches per game this season, down from the 44.2 touches he averaged last season. Per NBA.com, the frequency he’s been the pick-and-roll ball handler is at 21.5%, which is a significant drop from the 31.8% in his last full season in Orlando. These stats help explain why the creation aspect of his game hasn’t translated as expected as a Knick — the opportunity to do so hasn’t been there like it was in Orlando.
Gather all of this information together, couple it with his recent shooting funk, and what you get is what is quickly spiraling into the worst season of his career.
So how can the Knicks get Fournier back on track?
There are a few ways the Knicks can get Fournier to play better offensively. The easy answer is that they can give him more touches, involve him in more pick-and-rolls, speed up the pace, and find him in transition more and hope he snaps out of his shooting funk. He got some opportunities in those capacities in Saturday’s game against Boston, and it resulted in a huge game. The problem is, at full strength, the Knicks currently have a handful of guys who need touches that are just flat out playing better than Fournier is right now.
However, involving him in the offense more doesn’t just mean giving him the ball more. The Knicks can run more off-ball actions like floppy or run him through exit screens to get him more into the flow of the game. A lot of his shots come off Randle post-ups or off dribble penetration where he’s been stationary, spotting up the entire possession. Getting him in motion through play design can help engage him more in the offense.
The Knicks can use Randle to create looks for Fournier. At the start of the season, the Fournier/Randle two-man game was a staple of the Knicks’ offense. It was incredibly productive and tough to stop, but in recent weeks the Knicks have gone away from it. Not only does it create open looks for Fournier, but it also helps Randle (who's dealing with his own struggles) get going as well. It’s a win-win, as shown below.
Fournier’s struggles are in part due to his own poor play. His defense has dropped off from where it was at the beginning of the season. He’s never been a good defender, but he hasn’t even been passable on that end. His play on both ends must improve.
The Knicks are going to need Fournier to get it going if they want to turn the season around. The fit hasn’t been as seamless as it looked on paper.
The good news is that Fournier has been a productive NBA player for almost a decade. The safe bet is that he and the Knicks are able to figure things out, but if that fails to happen, things will get dicier than they already are in Knicks land.
