Evan Fournier

Knicks: Evan Fournier adjusts to 4th qtr benching and new role off the ball

by
evan fournier, knicks

Last summer, Evan Fournier was France’s best player in Tokyo Olympics. He’s been clutch as he was with his former NBA teams.

Those memories seem too distant now as Fournier, the most expensive Knicks signing in the offseason, had been glued to the bench in the fourth quarter of eight of the team’s first 15 games, including the last four.

“The way I look at it is that I can’t just play anymore like I did with other teams knowing I’m gonna play 32 minutes at least,” Fournier said. “Like I know where my shots are coming from, I know how things are gonna go for me so I can kind of get into the game knowing what to [expect].”

“Historically, I’ve been good in the fourth quarters and now that I’m not playing in fourth quarters, I have to bring something early on.”

This is the biggest chunk of games in Fournier’s career that he’s not playing in the fourth quarter. Even during his rookie year, he averaged 6.8 minutes in the fourth quarter of 33 of the 38 games he played with the Denver Nuggets.

For the first time since the 2015-16 season, Fournier is averaging below 30 minutes per game.

“With the situation right now, I don’t know how many minutes I’m going to play,” Fournier said. So, I have to have a mindset that if I’m going to play 20 minutes, then let’s just come out of the gate with extreme energy, be very alert, try to be ultra-aggressive and try to have an impact.”

Fournier started the season on fire, hitting big shots against his former teams, Boston Celtics and Orlando Magic, in their first two games. During the Knicks’ impressive 5-1 start, Fournier averaged 17.5 points per game, built around a remarkable 45.1 percent three-point shooting.

Then it went downhill from there.

Over his last seven games, his scoring went down to just seven points as his shooting went south (37% from the field, 23% from the 3-point line).

But it wasn’t just him who had been struggling. The entire starting unit is facing chemistry issues as they have the worst plus-minus of any five-man lineup in the league right now. And the schedule is making it more challenging for them to build cohesiveness.

“We don’t practice that much. We don’t play five on five in practice anymore,” Fournier said. “So, it’s really about watching the game, seeing how you can adjust, what you can do better and once you get on the floor, do it. Read situations. From my point of view, that’s really how we can get better just from watching the film. The games keep on coming.”

The game on Saturday against the league-worst Houston Rockets will be the Knicks’ 16th game in 30 days.

Fournier understands Thibodeau’s decision to ride with the hot hands in the fourth quarter as he admitted that his inconsistent play somehow mirrors the team’s play.

“Very inconsistent, obviously,” Fournier replied when asked to assess his season so far with the Knicks. “Kind of like what we’ve been doing as a team, to be honest. We’ve had really good games and really bad games. In 17 games, you’ve got some of my best and some of my worst already. From that standpoint, there’s only one thing for me to do, to keep working and have a winning attitude and do everything I can.”

It’s the same sentiment that Julius Randle had when he was asked to assess his season so far after their second straight loss to the Magic, the Eastern Conference’s worst team.

Randle and Fournier showed encouraging signs at the start of the season that they could replicate or have a better two-man game than what Randle enjoyed with Reggie Bullock last season. But as the season progressed, their chemistry also regressed.

Thibodeau isn’t about to hit the panic button. It’s too early in the season. Building habits take time.

“In fairness to everyone involved, I think after 15 games last season, no one was saying that Julius and Reggie had great chemistry,” Thibodeau said. “It’s something that evolved over the course of the season. So, I think you have to give this a chance to work out.”

While Fournier is not entirely happy with his performance and his fourth-quarter benching, he doesn’t need an explanation from Thibodeau.

“I’m a 10-year vet now,” Fournier said. “I watch the game, I can feel the game, so I don’t need to be finessed. It’s okay, my feelings won’t get hurt. I want the team to play well, and I want to play well. And when I don’t, it’s fine. I have to do better.”

With practices almost confined in the film room, how can Fournier build chemistry with the team?

“Well, communication and make sure we ask ourselves the right questions,” he said.

There’s no doubt in Fournier’s mind that things will get better, and it’s only just a matter of time.

“I always try to look at myself first and how I can do things better to be out there, obviously,” Fournier said. “I’m obviously not happy to be on the bench. But I want to be out there. I know what I’m capable of and I know what I can do to help this team win.”

While he’s still waiting for his shot to fall again and his fourth-quarter minutes to return, Fournier’s plan to attack his sporadic minutes and new role off the ball isn’t just about hunting for his shots early in the game.

“[Being aggressive] means everything. It may mean running harder, getting the rebound so I can push the ball in transition. Just have more energy and be more present because when you let the game come to you all the time, you become kind of passive,” Fournier said.

“Just do the little things. When you’re off the ball, especially as a guy that plays well with the ball, I have to find opportunities. How can I create movement just by running or missing a screen or slipping or something like that?”

Follow this writer on Twitter: @alderalmo

2 players who are dragging the Knicks’ first team down

by
evan fournier, knicks

The New York Knicks have identified themselves as an inconsistent team, losing three of their last four games and dropping an embarrassing one to the Orlando Magic on Wednesday night. In the defeat, the starting team once again came up short, as two of their primary starters recorded just 10 points combined. Julius Randle logged 13, and RJ Barrett contributed 17 but missed all seven of his three-point attempts.

Randle commented after the game regarding the team’s lackluster performance, indicating they are still trying to find their rhythm.

“It hasn’t been great,” Randle said of his play this season. “Like I said, a lot of this stuff is rhythm, trying to find each other out. I think it’s been exactly how the season went. There’s been good days and there’s been not great days. That’s pretty much who we are right now. We’re not a consistent team, a consistent basketball team yet, but we’ll get there.”

Randle hasn’t seemed like himself at times this season, but two players have made life increasingly difficult for him.

Two players dragging the Knicks down:

1.) Evan Fournier

When the Knicks acquired Evan Fournier via free agency this past off-season, they envisioned a high-profile scorer who could replace Reggie Bullock and contribute more as a creator. However, Fournier has been disappointing lately, recording double digits in just one of his last four contests. Evan has shot below 33% from range in all five, making little to no impact.

If Fournier isn’t contributing on offense, he’s rather useless considering his defensive qualities. He’s slow to react to ball carriers and relies on steals to provide any positive metric. On the season, he’s shooting 35% from deep and averaging 12.2 points per game, far less than the Knicks expected when they initially signed him. However, it is a long year, and there’s plenty of time for him to find his groove, but it starts with simplifying things.

The veteran guard has found himself running in circles, trying to find the right spot on the floor, which has confused his teammates and put him out of position at times. Fournier needs to settle in the corner and simply offer a kick-out option for the primary playmakers like Randle — his chicken with his head cut-off strategy is doing more harm than good.

Until he finds his place within the starting team, the Knicks will continue relying on the second unit to supplement deficiencies. This is clearly not the elite defensive team we experienced last season.

2.) Kemba Walker

Speaking of inconsistent, veteran point guard Kemba Walker has found himself struggling in various categories. Over the past five games, Walker has recorded two contests with double-digit points, but another two with five points or less. Against Orlando, one of the worst teams in basketball, he contributed five points and shot 33% from deep and 28.6% from the field. With an All-Star caliber player providing little to nothing on offense, he’s virtually useless given his defensive qualities.

The Knicks have two players in Fournier and Walker who aren’t producing at an efficient level, and given the fact neither are considered offensive-minded players, this has left a significant void and presented a significant vulnerability.

The problem is, if Tom Thibodeau tries to change the player combinations and dismantle the second team, they will disrupt the only consistent portion of their squad at the moment. They need to let the starting unit figure things out on their own without making too many changes.

Thibodeau blames himself as Knicks fall to Magic again: ‘That’s on me’

by
tom thibodeau, knicks

The Knicks‘ starters have taken a lot of heat already. New York coach Tom Thibodeau shielded them and took ownership this time.

Two nights after showing endgame grit in a gutsy win over Indiana Pacers, the Knicks crumbled in crunch time as they lost for the second straight time to Eastern Conference’s bottom-dweller Orlando Magic this season.

Errant passes by second-year guard Immanuel Quickley, hero of Monday’s win, and veteran Derrick Rose doomed the Knicks. The Magic pounced, and they escaped with a 104-98 win Wednesday night at Madison Square Garden. Two of Orlando’s only four wins so far this season came on the Knicks’ home floor, a rare occurrence as the Magic have never done this since the 2017-18 season.

“Unfortunately, we beat ourselves. Our turnovers hurt us. The second shot hurt us. We’re capable of playing a lot better than we did. We give them credit. They played well. They played hard. We didn’t,” Thibodeau said. “I have to do a better job getting them ready. That’s on me. We’ll take a good look hard at it.”

The Knicks committed 18 turnovers, with the last two hurting them the most.

Terrence Ross intercepted Quickley’s lazy pass and converted it into a breakaway dunk as the Magic grabbed the lead, 95-94, with 2:56 left. Quickley atoned for his mistake with a feed to RJ Barrett for the Knicks’ last lead, 96-97. But Orlando went on a 9-2 closing run, sealing New York’s fate with a Wendell Carter Jr.’s alley-oop slam off Rose’s turnover in the final 30 seconds.

The Knicks slid to 8-7, and with 15 games in, the disturbing trend of inconsistent effort from the starters continued.

New additions Kemba Walker and Evan Fournier combined for only 10 points on 4 of 13 shooting and were reduced to spectators again down the stretch. Thibodeau went small in the final 3:42 when Julius Randle replaced Mitchell Robinson with the Knicks up, 94-91. They went super small when Rose was re-inserted for Obi Toppin, who was spectacular with a season-high-tying 14 points off the bench.

It backfired.

Randle did not log in a single attempt. He had a steal, but Rose turned it over.

Game over.

“It’s tough. It’s a lot to fix,” Randle said. “Sh*t’s not going well for us right now.”

Randle finished with only 13 points on 11 shots and contributed three of the Knicks’ 18 turnovers which the Magic converted into 21 points. The starters went into another lull in the third quarter before the second unit led by Toppin picked them up. The Knicks’ bench reinforced by Barrett transformed an 11-point deficit into a five-point lead on a Toppin jumper with 6:33 to go. But the Knicks could not hold it down. They gave up a combined 36 points on second chance and transition baskets.

Their defense, particularly the starters, is not as connected as last season. But it was expected as they replaced the previous season’s defensive-oriented backcourt of Elfrid Payton and Reggie Bullock with more offensive-minded players. The projected firepower addition that should compensate for the defensive regression has yet to pan out consistently.

Almost a quarter into the season, Thibodeau is still searching for the right combinations. But it’s hard to build chemistry with the constant mix and matching of lineups.

“It’s all part of it. The good thing about it is you have depth. Sometimes, the tough thing is trying to figure out who’s going well and that sort of thing,” said a defiant Thibodeau, who hinted before the game that the starting lineup would remain intact for the foreseeable future. “Hey, look, we’re capable of doing better, and we have to. Our only way out is we got to work our way out of this.”

Where do they start?

“The first thing you have to do is eliminate the ways in which you beat yourself,” said Thibodeau referring to their defense, rebounding, and low turnovers. “That’s got to be the priority.”

Thibodeau forgot one more thing. Consistent effort.

Follow this writer on Twitter: @alderalmo

Amid Knicks’ struggles, Tom Thibodeau stays positive: It’s a long season

by
New York Knicks, Tom Thibodeau

A recent slide has dimmed the glow of the New York Knicks‘ 5-1 start.

Losers of three of their last four games, the Knicks’ celebrated offseason moves are now being questioned. Julius Randle, who rose to become the new King of New York last season, is getting vilified like it’s 2019 all over again. The Knicks’ reloaded starting lineup has raised more questions than answers.

For two straight games, their starters struggled to show any semblance of cohesion. After they teased with a dazzling start in Charlotte, they regressed as the game progressed.

Thibodeau, who lost his cool following their meltdown against the defending champion but shorthanded Milwaukee Bucks last Wednesday, refused to point fingers this time.

“It’s not a one-person thing,” Thibodeau said when a reporter asked what’s going on with Randle. “It’s our group. We gotta function well together as a group and so we gotta bring the best out in each other. So, everyone has the responsibility to execute, to share the ball, to be in the right spots. That’s what we have to do. When we do that, we’re very good on offense.”

Except for his yeoman’s job in Philadelphia, Randle had underperformed in the Knicks’ last three losses. In those games, Randle averaged only 15.0 points on a 36/29/55 shooting split. His other numbers are also down — 6.7 rebounds, 4.3 assists against 3.3 turnovers.

But it’s not only Randle.

There’s also the $78-million man Evan Fournier, who asked for more ball movement after struggling to get rhythm shots in the Knicks’ current slide. Through seven games in November, the Frenchman is only averaging 9.1 points on a 39/23/73 shooting split.

RJ Barrett has cooled off, too, after a string of five 20-plus point games. His sudden downward trend has hurt the Knicks most in their last three losses. He didn’t even reach double-digit scoring in those games and averaged just 5.7 points on an atrocious 23 percent shooting, including going 1 for 11 from downtown.

“It’s a long season, players go through these [struggles],” Thibodeau said. “I’m a big believer in being mentally tough when you face adversity. So, oftentimes, ‘hey look you just got to work your way through it. You never know when it’s going to change in the next play.’ But get back to the hustle part of it. Usually, that’s what gets you going.”

When they are not shooting well, Thibodeau again implores his struggling players to do the other things that contribute to winning: “rebounding, making plays, sharing the ball, screening, moving without the ball, cutting hard, whatever it might be.”

“We can’t get wrapped up in personal dilemmas,” Thibodeau said. “It’s a team game.”

What the Knicks starters are lacking, their bench had plenty of it.

Derrick Rose remains steady. Immanuel Quickley is finally emerging from early-season shooting woes. Obi Toppin continues his giant sophomore leap. Alec Burks is quietly putting together another solid season. Taj Gibson is an ageless wonder. Nerlens Noel, when healthy, is among the league’s top defensive big men.

Together, they have been a bundle of energy. The second unit has sparked joy among Knicks fans as they have inspired several comebacks from double-digit deficits.

“There are plays in which that they were generated from great hustle and I think when you get those plays, they unite and inspire your own team. And so, that’s how we got going with the bench in the third quarter,” Thibodeau said referring to the Knicks’ bench overhauling an 11-point Hornets deficit to grab the lead midway in the fourth quarter.

“When they started hustling and getting deflections and getting stops and we got into the open floor, then we started feeling good and we started playing well. That’s what we need to do.”

Thibodeau still believes his starters can figure this out together. After all, their second unit did not become this cohesively good overnight.

As one wise man once said, “It’s a long season.”

Follow this writer on Twitter: @alderalmo

After sizzling start, ball stops moving in another dispirited Knicks loss

by

Evan Fournier was right.

After the Friday morning shootaround, Fournier opined that the lack of ball movement is the culprit behind the New York Knicks‘ recent slump, particularly among the starters.

It seemed the Knicks have that straightened out responding to Tom Thibodeau’s “a bunch of bulls–t” rant with a sizzling start in Charlotte. They built a 16-point lead, 34-18, around Kemba Walker’s familiarity with the Spectrum Center and Julius Randle’s brilliant playmaking.

The first basket of the game was a Fournier corner three off a Randle assist. Then came the second shot — a Walker pull-up three off a Mitchell Robinson screen. As Walker was feeling it, Randle fed him with a fancy between-the-legs pass. Then screened his defender for another Walker three-pointer.

With Walker smoking hot with 17 points to start the game in the building where his NBA legend began, Randle was content distributing the ball. Six of the Knicks’ 13 field goals in the opening quarter came off an assist, four from Randle. Some unassisted field goals came off screens like Robinson did, which did not reflect as assists on the box scores.

“They were making shots. [Kemba] was hot. He was aggressive early. You have to give them credit,” Hornets coach James Borrego said. “We couldn’t find that same rhythm on our side. I don’t think we were getting bad shots. I think we were a little antsy to start the game and they were making shots and we’re not. It kind of snowball there for a minute.”

When there was constant movement and action, the Knicks were hard to stop. And most importantly, they were engaged on defense, flying around to chase shots.

But it turned out it was just a mirage.

After the starters had six assists in the opening quarter, they could only add two the rest of the way. Randle was emblematic of their stalled offense as he only made one assist after the opening quarter.

When the starters checked back in by one by one in the second quarter, the 16-point lead started to evaporate. By halftime, it was down to just nine as momentum shifted to the Hornets.

When Walker began to cool down, Randle started to hunt for his shots. But the Knicks All-Star forward was struggling too with his jump shot missing another couple of attempts. He didn’t score his first field goal until the 2:51 mark of the second quarter — a putback after getting blocked. Then Walker fed him for a three-pointer that had Randle embarking on a personal mini-run with seven straight points. Randle gave the Knicks their last double-digit lead, 54-40.

When Randle dominated the ball, the Knicks’ offense stopped humming. The ball stopped moving. It sucked their energy on defense. What followed next was a couple of missed tough Randle jumpers. The Hornets started to buzz and cut the lead into a single digit.

The Knicks shot only 8 of 24 from the field in the second quarter. Four of those successful shots were assisted, with two coming from Walker, the only starter who recorded an assist in that quarter.

“What I say about this team though is they don’t hang their heads. We stayed resilient. We stayed together. It’s a long game. It’s a 48-minute game. We just stayed with it and it’s gonna turn. That’s what our guys did,” Borrego said of his Hornets.

Gordon Hayward repeatedly beat RJ Barrett off his constant cuts to the basket. By the time Thibodeau yanked his starters, the Hornets had transformed the nine-point deficit into a double-digit lead.

During that stretch, the Knicks starters combined to shoot 4 of 16 from the floor. Randle was 1 for 6, Barrett missed two, Fournier flubbed all of his three attempts. Robinson made one. Walker was 2 of 4. And only Randle made an assist, the lone recorded by the starters in nearly 10 minutes of play.

“We’re not just getting stops. They started making their shots. They started getting all the momentum, and it started going down from there for us,” Walker said.

After the Hornets only made 2 of 17 three-pointers in the first half, they went on to hit 8 of their next 19 attempts the rest of the way. The Knicks defense didn’t know where the attacks were coming from as the Hornets also dominated the paint, 20-8, in the pivotal third quarter.

“I wish I could tell you. That’s been our problem this season,” Walker said of their lackadaisical start in the third quarter. “We gotta find a way. We gotta find a way to be better.”

The bench came to bail them out and even grabbed the lead on an Obi Toppin fastbreak windmill dunk with 5:17 remaining.

It turned out to be their last hurrah.

Thibodeau tried to flip the script and brought his starters back, hoping they could bring it home, which they failed to do in their previous comeback attempt against the Milwaukee Bucks. But it didn’t work either. The Hornets pulled away with a 13-3 closing run.

“In this league, you got to play for 48 minutes. No lead is safe,” Thibodeau lamented. “If you don’t play with the right intensity, in the second half, we didn’t play well. So, we got to fix that.”

“The bench came in and played well but we need everyone playing well. It’s a team. You need your starters to play well. [You need] the bench to play well. You need them to play well together.”

But how can the Knicks, mainly the starters, fix that?

“It’s going to take energy. [It’s going] to take pride. It’s going to take five guys to do it, us five, we gotta figure it out. We just have to,” Walker paused to make a mocking grin behind his mask. “Or else it won’t be good for us. It needs to get better.”

“There’s just so much that goes into energy, man — just communication, body movement. There are things that contribute to that. As I said, it needs five guys at once, not just two or three.”

On Friday night, it was only Walker who had it going. He finished with a season-high 26 points but only had nine after his scorching start. LaMelo Ball, the new Hornets franchise player who replaced Walker, did not shoot well, but he was all over the floor. Ball continued the Knicks’ disturbing trend to give up career highs in their every loss. The 6-foot-7 Hornets point guard grabbed a career-high 17 rebounds, 12 points, nine assists, five steals, and one block.

Walker didn’t muster enough support from the rest of the starting lineup with the worst net rating (-14.4) among the most used five-man lineups (minimum of 150 minutes) in the NBA.

Randle tied his season-low with 10 points on 4 of 15 shooting. He had the second-worst plus-minus (-18) behind Walker’s -23.

Miles Bridges, whom the Knicks passed in the 2018 NBA Draft, badly outplayed Randle. Kevin Knox, who the Knicks drafted three picks earlier in the lottery, turned out to be just an end-of-the-bench player. Bridges’ three-point play off Randle’s foul with 1:31 left added salt to the Knicks’ wounds.

Barrett tied his career-low with only two points, missing eight of his nine attempts. Hayward dominated their matchup with 22 points and seven assists.

Robinson shot 4 of 5 from the field. He had 11 points and six rebounds in 23 minutes, but his limited offensive skill set and the rest of the starters dragged his net rating (-9). His counterpart on the Hornets’ side, Miles Plumlee, offset Robinson’s contribution with six points and 11 rebounds.

After starting the game with a three-pointer, Fournier could only add two more points. The French wing, who demanded more ball movement, only had six attempts and missed four. Terry Rozier roasted the Knicks with 18 points on 7 of 13 shooting.

“Every night, it’s gonna be a different guy until we have enough guys who can really score the basketball,” Walker said. “We need to get some more movement together. I just think it’s still pretty new for us, especially me and Ev (Evan). You know, with two new guys coming in, trying to find our way, trying to find our spots, to find our shots, we just have to figure out how to be consistent.”

Until then, the only thing consistent right now is their stagnant offense and lousy defense.

Follow this writer on Twitter: @alderalmo

What is ailing Knicks starting unit? Evan Fournier has a theory

by
evan fournier, knicks

The New York Knicks‘ uneven performances had been perplexing.

There were nights when they looked every inch a deep playoff team, beating quality teams such as the Boston Celtics, Philadelphia 76ers, Chicago Bulls, and defending champion Milwaukee Bucks. But there are also nights when they look like a lottery-bound team in their five disappointing losses.

On the surface, you can quickly notice the night and day difference between the Knicks’ starters and the second unit’s play. That came to the fore against the Bucks for their third straight loss at home. Tom Thibodeau yanked the starters one by one towards the end of the third quarter and did not return. They helplessly watched on the bench as the second unit completed a 24-point comeback that fell short in the end.

“The (bench) guys were playing well,” Fournier said. “You obviously want to be on the floor. But we had no business being on the court.’’

Their poor play led to Thibodeau losing his cool when the constant question of how many more games the starting unit needs to build chemistry together was asked.

“You know what they say — when it’s 10 games, you say we need 20. When you get to 20, you say 30. When we get to 30, you say 40, and then before you know it, the season’s over,” said Thibodeau referring to how much time do his starters need to jell. “So, that’s a bunch of bull—t.”

Evan Fournier contributed to the Knicks starting unit’s uninspiring play with a season-low two points on 1 of 5 shooting. He was sympathetic to Thibodeau as he was disappointed too with their embarrassing performance.

“Sh–t, I would be too,” said Fournier after their Friday morning shootaround in Charlotte. “I mean we don’t need Tom to get mad at us like we know we did not play well.”

“We’re all veterans. We all know what we’re capable of doing and it doesn’t feel good when we don’t play well. We all feel responsible for it because the bench did a great job.”

Despite the addition of Kemba Walker and Fournier and the return of Mitchell Robinson, the starting unit has regressed compared to last season’s starters.

Last season, the most used Knicks starting lineup of Elfrid Payton, Reggie Bullock, RJ Barrett, Julius Randle, and Nerlens Noel are a much better team on both ends of the floor than this new iteration in their first 12 games together.

Despite the knocks on Payton being an offensive liability and Bullock’s problems creating off the dribble, their metrics with the staring unit last season trump the new Walker-Fournier backcourt so far.

Knicks Starting LineupNet RTGOff RTGeFG%Def RTG
Payton, Bullock, Barrett, Randle, Noel
(percentile)		-4.4 (33rd)109.8 (36th)54.4%
(43rd)		114.2 (40th)
Walker, Fournier, Barrett, Randle, Robinson
(percentile)		-15.6 (8th)106.2 (45th)51.9% (48th)121.7
(0)
All stats from Cleaning The Glass

The Knicks have been heavily relying on the best bench in the league when it comes to offensive rating, generating 70.6 points per 100 possessions. Their second unit also has the current second-best net rating (6.9) behind the league-leading Golden State Warriors (9.0).

Fournier believes that the starting unit has to get back to what has worked in their hot 5-1 start.

“The main difference between the first and second units is really ball movement, body movement. It feels likes at times, we’re very stagnant. We have to find that rhythm that we had early on in those first five games of the season,” Fournier said.

The Knicks starters are playing at the slowest pace among the most used five-man lineups that have played at least 100 minutes together. They are only generating an estimated 96.55 possessions per 48 minutes. The Warriors’ starting lineup of Stephen Curry, Jordan Poole, Andrew Wiggins, Draymond Green, and Kevin Looney currently tops the league in pace with 104.40.

Fournier has cooled down after a hot start in October, where he averaged 3.8 3s per game on a staggering 45.1 percent. The Frenchman gunner is only averaging 1.2 3s per game in the last six games on a cold 21.9 percent shooting.

Fournier said his current poor form is a perfect reflection of the starting unit.

“We started really well, shooting the ball well, sharing the ball well. Now it’s not as good. Are we not playing well because we’re missing shots or are we missing shots because we’re not sharing the ball? It’s always that question that you’re gonna ask yourself. In my opinion, because we aren’t getting good shots,” Fournier said.

Fournier’s field goal attempts dropped from 14.3 in the first six games to just 9.7 in the last six.

In the same span, Randle only had a slight uptick in field goal attempts from 17.5 to 18.2, while Barrett also only had a minimal increase from 13.2 to 15.8.

“When you look at the Milwaukee game, we were really stagnant but you can’t really look at one game and say, ‘okay, here’s the problem’ like every night is different,” Fournier explained before anyone pin the blame on Randle’s isolation-heavy plays or Barrett’s recent explosion before the regression.

“It depends on the matchups, it depends on who’s hot or what we’re doing but just like I said we have to make sure we’re sharing the ball, make sure we run, make sure we have a good pace, and execute well.”

Fournier sounded like a broken clock, but the main key moving forward, he said, is sharing the ball.

“Sometimes you just pass the ball and the rhythm is gonna come back, Fournier said. “Once we all touch the ball, you get a good rhythm, you get better shots, then we’re all feeling good.”

Like Thibodeau, Fournier correlated their shooting woes to their energy on defense. But he also pointed out their defensive schemes under Thibodeau require them to spend a lot of energy which in theory also impacts their offensive burst.

When you don’t score, it usually affects your defense. More and more players and teams are seeking threes on transition. And at halfcourt, we’re a team that’s known for protecting the paint. We do that pretty well,” Fournier said. “The thing that’s a little bit hard is to protect the paint and get out. We have to make sure we have multiple efforts that we really go out there and contest the shots.”

The Knicks are giving up nearly 48 points from downtown every game, with their opponents averaging a league-most 15.7 three-pointers made. They also have the 11th lousiest transition defense in the league, allowing 13.2 fastbreak points per game.

While Fournier admitted that their chemistry is still a work in progress, he’s encouraged with their earlier play to start the season.

“We haven’t been playing well together lately. The good thing is we did it early. So, you know we’re capable of playing very well together. That’s the positive thing. We just have to come back to that. Hopefully tonight,” Fournier said. “Hopefully tonight.”

The Hornets, who are coming off a feel-good 118-110 overtime win against the Memphis Grizzlies that snapped a five-game losing streak, will be a good test for the Knicks.

Charlotte has one of the best three-point shooting teams in the league in terms of percentage. They are shooting 39.7 three-point percent, tied with the Brooklyn Nets, and average 13.6 3s made.

Led by the exciting open floor tandem of LaMelo Ball and Miles Bridges, the Hornets are also averaging a league’s sixth-best 15.2 fastbreak points per game.

But the thing is, the Hornets do not have a dominant force inside the paint. Will the Knicks still pack the paint? Which Knicks team will show up tonight?

The fans, and even Fournier, hope it would be the Knicks that went off to a hot 5-1 start.

Follow this writer on Twitter: @alderalmo

Knicks cast 3-point spell on Magic on historic night

by
knicks

After teasing a new-look offense tailored to the pace and space era in the preseason, it only took two games into the new season before the New York Knicks shattered their three-point record.

The Knicks hit a franchise-record 24 three-pointers en route to a 121-96 rout of a young Orlando Magic team Friday night at the Amway Center.

Eight different players made at least one three-pointer as the Knicks are off to a 2-0 start for the first time in nine years. The Knicks’ first five field goals came from downtown, setting the tone for the record-breaking night.

The 24 three-point shots made broke their previous record of 20, which they did thrice (2011, 2013, and 2018), while the 54 attempts also eclipsed the 51 they threw up in a quadruple overtime loss to Atlanta Hawks on January 29, 2017.

They also made 24 3s in a preseason win against the Washington Wizards two weeks ago. This time, the Knicks made it official.

“I think it’s a reflection of the team playing for each other and just making the right play,” Thibodeau said. “We talked about it a lot of wanting to shoot more 3s, but we want them to be the right 3s. When the second defender comes, guys are making the right read.”

The Magic had no answer to the Knicks’ vaunted offense, which kept on poking holes in their porous defense.

The Knicks had a smooth sailing save for a Mitchell Robinson injury scare and a Julius Randle technical foul.

Robinson clutched his hamstring before Kemba Walker replaced him with 4:19 to go in the third quarter. But the 23-year old Knicks center, who was playing in his third game back from a fractured foot injury, returned to play five more minutes in the fourth quarter.

“It should be fine,” Thibodeau’s curt reply when asked about Robinson’s hamstring.

Randle flirted with a triple-double (21 points, 10 rebounds, 7 assists, and 2 steals) before a technical foul forced Thibodeau to take him out with 4:28 left and the Knicks leading by 32.

Randle shoved Orlando’s Wendell Carter, Jr. after the Magic forward knocked him down in a fastbreak play.

“The one thing that I could assure you is that if I play [Randle] too much, you’ll gonna let me know. If I don’t play him enough, you’ll gonna let me know. And the one thing I know for certain it’s never the right amount,” said a smiling Thibodeau eliciting laughter from the reporters.

Walker went 3-for-3 from downtown in the first stanza, where the Knicks seized a 20-point lead that swelled to as large as 34 in the second half. He wound up with 11 points while his fellow newcomer and former Magic Evan Fournier continued his red-hot shooting with four three-pointers and 18 points.

Obi Toppin picked up from where he left off. The sophomore forward scored 13 points — from fastbreak slams to corner three-pointers — in 24 minutes that electrified the large Knicks crowd who showed up in Orlando.

Veteran guards Derrick Rose and Alec Burks also came off the bench and kept the ball moving. They produced identical numbers — 12 points and seven assists off the bench. The Knicks recorded 34 assists on a staggering 50 percent (44-of-88) shooting from the field.

They will aim to keep their perfect start when the Magic visit them at the Garden on Sunday for a rematch at 7 p.m.

After a quiet season opener, Immanuel Quickley came off the bench and joined the three-point party. Quickley finished with 16 points on 5-of-10 shooting from the field, including 4-for-8 from beyond the arc.

“Everybody loves playing for each other,” Quickley said. “Everybody can make plays. We can all shoot, dribble, pass and we play for each other. That’s the Knicks culture. — play for each other, play hard every night and that’s gonna get the job done.”

So far, job well done.

Welcome to the new era of Knicks basketball.

Follow this writer on Twitter: @alderalmo

Evan Fournier reacts to Knicks fans NSFW viral post-game celebration video

by
evan fournier, knicks

New York Knicks‘ swingman Evan Fournier is back in Orlando, where he spent his last six-and-a-half seasons in the NBA before he was traded in February.

It was a little surreal for him to enter the Amway Center and proceed to the visitor’s locker room area just for the second time since the trade that sent him to Boston.

Last May, Fournier scored 18 points in his return to Orlando helping the Celtics beat his former team Magic, 132-96.

“It’s a little different for sure. Like last night, you know, in the back of my mind, I was like my house is used to be 15 minutes away [from here]. So I could just go home and do stuff,” Fournier said after the Knicks’ Friday morning shootaround.

“It’s not my life anymore,” he said. “I’ve changed teams. I have a new house, but you know, I had a great time here, and I definitely won’t forget it.”

Fournier’s life on and off the court has changed dramatically in the past seven months bouncing from Orlando to Boston and now New York.

The Frenchman bucket-getter has already endeared himself to the Knicks fanbase just one game into the new season.

Last fall, he could still ride New York’s subway unnoticed. But after a scintillating debut on Wednesday night at the Garden, Fournier won’t be able to even walk around the city without people recognizing him.

‘Google Fournier’ is now vogue after his career-high-tying 32-point performance, which fueled the Knicks’ epic double-overtime win against his former team Boston Celtics.

Yes, he’s the new Knicks swingman and the new crowd’s darling.

And after long wanting to play for the Knicks in the most famous arena, Fournier’s expectation matches reality.

Following his heroic performance on opening night, he re-tweeted the now-viral, expletive-filled Knicks’ fans postgame celebration outside the Madison Square Garden with a caption that said, “What did I get myself into? (laughing emojis).”

“I was laughing my ass off,” Fournier said, referring to the video. “I thought it was hilarious. They’re crazy, but they’re passionate, and you know, as players, that’s what you want. You want a fanbase that’s really pushing you. Like I said in the postgame, the energy that they gave us against the Celtics was a big reason why we won the game.”

Fournier is getting more than what he expected. And after being on the other side — getting boos and jeers from the Knicks fans even in their home games in Orlando — for so long, he’s looking forward to experiencing the Knicks’ fandom on the road.

Fournier hated that feeling where visiting teams’ fans invaded the Amway Center in their home games when he was still a Magic.

“There are a lot of Miami, Boston, New York, and a little bit of [San Antonio] Spurs fans, and it’s a horrible feeling. So now that I’m on the other side, I’m looking forward to it hundred percent,” Fournier said.

Follow this writer on Twitter: @alderalmo

Knicks’ 2OT win over Celtics is ESPN’s most-watched Wednesday NBA opener in 18 years

by

It’s fun being a Knicks fan these days.

The New York Knicks have solidified their status as one of the must-watch teams in the NBA after opening the new season with an epic double-overtime win over their old rival Boston Celtics.

According to Nielsen, the Knicks-Celtics classic was ESPN’s most-watched Wednesday NBA season-opening game in 18 years.

Evan Fournier’s red-hot shooting, Julius Randle, and Derrick Rose’s clutch plays were enough to withstand Jaylen Brown’s 46-point career night.

Their riveting showdown drew an average of 1.96 million viewers, which peaked at 2.87 million viewers from 10:30-10:45 p.m. ET.

The double-overtime classic drew a 3.5 rating in the New York market, making it the highest-rated national regular-season Knicks game telecast since 2017. The game also delivered a 4.0 rating in the Boston market.

Overall, Wednesday’s telecast, which also included the Denver Nuggets win over Phoenix Suns, became ESPN’s most-watched season-opening doubleheader since 2017. It drew an average of 1.74 million viewers, up 39 percent vs. 2020, up 10 percent vs. 2019, and up 22 percent vs. 2018.

The Knicks’ resurgence buoyed by their surprising, feel-good playoff run last season has inspired the league and its broadcast partners to put them on 22 nationally televised games, including Wednesday’s season opener. It’s the biggest jump by any NBA team in the last two seasons. In 2019, the Knicks only had three games on national TV while they had six during the previous pandemic-condensed season.

The Knicks will also have seven games on NBA TV in addition to their games on ESPN, ABC, and TNT.

Fox Sport’s Colin Cowherd summed up why it’s so easy to root for the Knicks.

“When you watch the New York Knicks play, I find them so redeemable and so easy to root for because they’re winners,” Cowherd said on his Fox Sports’ show The Herd.

The sold-out Madison Square Garden crowd was electric on Wednesday night. The building was rocked to its core after every Obi Toppin slam, Fournier three-pointer, Randle’s go-to move, and Rose’s dagger.

The Knicks’ culture and impression around the league had dramatically shifted when team president Leon Rose and coach Tom Thibodeau took over last year. The players have responded well to Thibodeau’s no non-sense coaching.

Judging by fans’ reactions and the Knicks’ box office appeal on national TV, it’s safe to say that New York basketball is back!

Follow this writer on Twitter: @alderalmo

Broadway Thriller: Knicks survive Celtics in double OT season opener

by
evan fournier, knicks

When reporters asked Julius Randle what to expect in the New York Knicks season opener, there was something compellingly prescient about his answer.

“Chaos,” Randle said. “We’re expecting chaos.”

A chaotic final sequence in the regulation nearly cost them the game, but the Knicks regrouped and leaned on their preseason experience to pull off a 138-134 double-overtime win over old rival Boston Celtics on Wednesday night.

It was the first season opener with multiple overtimes since the Knicks’ 118-117 triple-overtime win over the Grizzlies on Nov. 1, 2006.

“Every time before we go out [of the locker room], coach [Tom Thibodeau] always puts on the board, ‘find a way to win.’ They talk about us taking preseason seriously, but this is why we take it seriously so we can win games like this,” Randle said.

Their undefeated run in the preseason kept them sharp and mentally ready for a brutal opening game that needed 58 minutes of basketball to decide the winner.

Randle started the season proving that his All-NBA season was not a fluke. In a battle of All-Star forwards, Randle answered Jaylen Brown’s 46-point performance with a near triple-double (35 points, eight rebounds, nine assists, three blocks in 46 minutes) and clutch free throws in the second overtime. Randle became the first player in Knicks’ history to log in at least 25 points, five rebounds, and five assists in multiple season openers, per ESPN Stats and Info.

Newcomer Evan Fournier validated the hefty contract he signed last summer. The Frenchman gunner scored a career-high 32 points, including the go-ahead three-pointer with 56 seconds remaining.

Derrick Rose showed that he can still close games more than a decade removed from his MVP season. He kept fighting through his shooting woes to hit the dagger — a floating banked shot off Dennis Schroder with 22.2 seconds left for the final tally. He wound up with nine points on 3-of-11 shooting and five assists.

It was a massive win against a conference rival that is projected to finish ahead of them in the standings.

But the Knicks had to earn it the hard way after blowing an 11-point lead late in the fourth quarter. They failed to protect a three-point cushion with 4.8 seconds left in the regulation when they seemingly forgot to foul.

“There was a slip but we did want to foul,” Thibodeau later said. “We got to work on it. We’ll learn from it.”

A Jayson Tatum slip caused a chain of reactions, leading to a wide-open Marcus Smart three-pointer that beat the buzzer to force the first overtime. Fournier went to double team Tatum that left Schroder open for the pass. Schroder found Smart as Kemba Walker, who had two costly turnovers inside the final 30 seconds, scrambled for defense.

Fournier atoned for his blunder with four triples in the two extra periods. After an underwhelming preseason, Fournier found his rhythm in his official Knicks debut. He shot 13-of-25 overall and accounted for six of the team’s 17 three-pointers.

The Knicks attempted 45 three-pointers, 34 in the regulation.

“I’ve never worried about him making shots,” Thibodeau said referring to Fournier. “To me, he’s proven throughout his career that’s who he is. It’s nice to see him and Julius build some chemistry together.”

The same cannot be said of Walker, who has yet to make his signature Knicks moment through four games dating back to the preseason. In this game billed as his official homecoming debut, Walker hardly had an impact with 10 points on 3-of-8 shooting in 36 minutes. He had more turnovers (4) than assists (3) and watched on the bench in the second overtime.

“I think [with] Kemba, the more he plays with that group the more he gets into a rhythm,” Thibodeau said. “He’s got great instincts in the pick and roll. And I think we can take advantage of that even more than what we’re doing right now. So, we’ll continue to work on that.”

“Kemba and Evan are two terrific players. We’re excited about the possibilities.”

However, their performance in the first 28 minutes did not elicit excitement. The Knicks trailed by as many as 12 points. After a roaring 8-0 start buoyed by a couple of Randle’s three-pointers, New York fell into Boston’s trap.

They could not solve the Celtics’ switching defense that held them to only eight assists in the first half and forced them to rely on isolation plays. Jaylen Brown’s 25-point outburst in the first half, 20 in the opening quarter, compounded their problem.

Not until Thibodeau switched to his small-ball lineup again in the third quarter that they found an answer. Sans Nerlens Noel (sore left knee) and Taj Gibson, who just became a first-time father, Thibodeau leaned on the Toppin-Randle frontcourt to ignite their comeback.

After Toppin replaced Mitchell Robinson with 8:36 left in the third quarter, the Knicks outscored the Celtics, 28-15, to seize an 86-82 lead heading into the fourth quarter.

They pushed the pace, and the space they created gave Barrett enough room to operate. After a scoreless first half, Barrett uncorked 14 of his 19 points during that big run.

“It got us going. It got us into the open floor which was good. That group really played well together,” Thibodeau said.

Toppin then teamed up with Robinson at the start of the fourth quarter. Their back-to-back dunks opened up an eight-point lead for the Knicks, 90-82. Toppin and Robinson combined for 11 of the Knicks’ first 14 points in the fourth quarter.

A Schroder three-pointer cut Celtics’ deficit down to six. But Toppin’s alley-oop dunk over Payton Pritchard restored an eight-point Knicks’ lead, 100-92, with 8:58 left in the regulation.

The second-year pro looked every inch the lottery pick that he was hyped to be as he finally spread his wings. Toppin finished with a career-high 14 points in 28 minutes, the most he’s played since he entered the NBA. He added five rebounds and one block.

His breakthrough performance was a testament to Thibodeau’s player development acumen and his body of work with his trainer David Zenon in the summer.

Robinson delivered a monster double-double in just his second game back from a foot injury. The 23-year old center collected 11 points, 17 rebounds, three assists, and two blocks against only two fouls in 35 minutes.

“I think we’re seeing just the tip of the iceberg with Mitch. I think Mitch is gonna be really, really good for us,” Thibodeau said. “RJ, in the second half, he was a monster. The thing that I liked was he kept his composure. He wasn’t rattled and just kept playing. He kept working in the game and then the game got going his way. So, it was really good to see.”

More than his offensive contribution, Barrett held his end of the bargain on the defensive end. He played a major role in slowing down Tatum, who bled for 20 points on 7-of-30 shooting, including 2 for 15 from downtown.

After a chaotic first half, the Knicks’ offense flowed like the Hudson river in the last two quarters and two overtimes with 19 assists.

Amid the chaos that reigned in the Garden in their season opener, the Knicks found harmony in their continuity, stability, and flexibility.

It’s going to be a long season. But the Knicks are equipped to battle chaos.

Follow this writer on Twitter: @alderalmo