Evan Fournier must have been hearing all kinds of insults after his scoreless debut with the Boston Celtics this week. Brad Stevens knew it and knew that sooner or later the French shooter would be back.
However, Fournier proved his doubters wrong Friday night in a game against the Houston Rockets at TD Garden. The Celtics came away with an easy 118-102 victory. Their valuable last-minute recruitment yielded 23 points in 30 minutes.
In his third game for the Celtics, he hit seven three-pointers, scoring the second-most points in franchise history off the bench.
Evan Fournier made 7 three-pointers today, which ranks second among bench players in Celtics history.
Eddie House went 8 for 28. January 2009 against the Kings. pic.twitter.com/WShQQhd2y
– ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) April 3, 2021
Initially, it looked like Fournier would have another unsuccessful night, as he scored just three points in the first three quarters. However, he scored 20 points in the final 12 minutes of the game, with 8-of-13 field goals and 7-of-11 from beyond the arc.
After the game, Celtics coach Brad Stevens praised the veteran quarterback for calling his number while having little to do during most of the game.
Brad Stevens said he can already tell that Evan Fournier is not an emotional roller coaster guy. He said he didn’t look worried after going 0-for-10 in his debut or after the Celtics didn’t give him enough contact in Game 2.
– Jay King (@ByJayKing) 3. April 2021
Fournier had perhaps one of the worst starts in league history, going 0-for-10 from the field in 33 minutes against the New Orleans Pelicans. What didn’t help was that the 6-foot-6 swingman only scored six points in the next game against the Dallas Mavericks.
Evan Fournier makes his Celtics debut:
33 MINUTES
0 PT
0-10 FG
0-5 3P
This is the most scoreless minutes for the Celtics with 10+ attempts since the three-point era (1980). pic.twitter.com/vPZmZXADDJ
– StatMuse (@statmuse) 30. March 2021
Fournier has obviously been a valuable asset to Boston since the deal was made. The two disappointing performances have pundits wondering if the Celtics made the right decision by giving up two second-round picks and Jeff Teague.
Meanwhile, Fournier admitted that he would surely sleep after his delightful date tonight.
Evan Fournier: Even better: We won. This is my first win for the Celtics. And it’s just a good night together. I’m going to enjoy a glass of wine and sleep in tonight.
– Jay King (@ByJayKing) 3. April 2021
Evan Fournier says he always tries to stay in the moment. He said he has played nine years in the NBA, knows who he is and what he is capable of. He knew that if he had started with 0 out of 10, it wouldn’t have defined him.
– Jay King (@ByJayKing) 3. April 2021
Evan Fournier said his challenge will be to adjust to the Celtics.
The more I understand what the guys are trying to do and how to get my shots, the better I can perform.
– Jay King (@ByJayKing) 3. April 2021
The Celtics polished off their two-game deficit, and it’s no coincidence that they did so after Fournier’s impressive performance. He will undoubtedly play a key role in Brad Stevens’ game as they try to move back up in the East.
