Coming into their FIBA World Cup exhibition Friday, Team Canada wing RJ Barrett had been vocal about the ongoing smack talk between him and Team France guard/ New York Knicks cohort, Evan Fournier.
When discussing the scheduled bout, the 23-year-old even publicly admitted that he had been “talking trash to Evan Fournier every day for a while now.”
However, come the conclusion of the contest, as far as individual standpoints are concerned it was the latter who wound up getting the better of the playfully chirping former lottery pick.
Pacing his team in points, Fournier, who has been producing admirably throughout the tournament thus far, scored 21 on the day while shooting at a highly efficient 83.3 percent from two-point range. He would also go on to register three rebounds, one assist, and two steals.
Barrett, on the other hand, had a lackluster scoring outing for Canada, as he only managed to muster up five points on a putrid 10 percent shooting from the field, though he did prove to be rather productive in other areas such as in the rebounding (six) and assist (five) departments.
📺 Canada stuns France in dominant fashion, led by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s brilliant performance. 🇨🇦
Fortunately, Barrett’s offensive shortcomings didn’t negatively impact his club’s overall fortunes on the day, as Team Canada pulled out a definitive 95-65 victory over Fournier’s home country.
That said, even with this triumph, it’s evident that the Knicks wing failed to follow up his trash-talking with a noteworthy showing.
Knicks’ Evan Fournier on France’s Loss: ‘Got Our A** Kicked’
Following the exhibition, Evan Fournier was rather blunt when discussing France’s 30-point loss to Canada on August 25.
“We got our ass kicked.”
Evan Fournier keeps it real after France’s 30-points loss to Canada.
Team France held an 18-14 lead at the conclusion of the first quarter, though found themselves on the wrong side of an 81-47 run during the final three periods of play.
Fournier was one of only three players to score in double-figures and was the only one to post above 12 total points.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander showed out in Canada’s #FIBAWC opening win 🔥
27 PTS, 13 REB, 6 AST
Team Canada, on the other hand, saw numerous standout performances, particularly from star guard and Oklahoma City Thunder cornerstone Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who finished his outing off with 27 points, 13 rebounds, and six assists while shooting 47.4 percent from the field.
Jalen Brunson Listed Amongst Stars in NBA Tiers List
Though both Barrett and Fournier may have just endured lowly turnouts, albeit in differing ways, their Knicks teammate Jalen Brunson finds his stock continuing to rise during the 2023 FIBA World Cup.
On August 14, The Athletic’s analytics guru Seth Partnow compiled a new list of NBA player tiers, and found placed within the lucrative “3B” category alongside Kyrie Irving, Trae Young, Khris Middleton, Draymond Green, Jrue Holiday, Pascal Siakam, Zion Williamson and Lauri Markkanen was New York’s star guard.
Brunson just wrapped up his first season with the Knicks after inking a lucrative four-year, $104 million deal during last summer’s free agency. Putting forth career-best numbers in numerous categories, the 26-year-old went on to post stellar averages of 24.0 points, 6.2 assists, and 3.5 rebounds on 49.1 percent shooting from the field and 41.6 percent shooting from deep.
What makes his placement within Partnow’s tier rankings all the more exciting is the fact that behind him in the “3C” category is Indiana Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton, who The Ringer’s Bill Simmons recently suggested should be Team USA’s primary backcourt weapon ahead of Brunson.
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RJ Barrett’s ‘Trash Talk’ Not Backed Up Against Knicks Teammate Evan Fournier