Getty Evan Fournier, Boston Celtics
Since leaving the Boston Celtics in the summer of 2021, Evan Fournier has struggled to replicate the form that saw Danny Ainge acquire him from the Orlando Magic.
Currently signed to the New York Knicks, Fournier has found himself on the outside of the team’s rotation, playing just 27 games for Tom Thibodeau‘s team and not logging any minutes during the Knicks’ postseason run.
When speaking with Brian Lewis of The New York Post, Fournier revealed that he’s expecting to be traded during the summer, as there doesn’t seem to be a path toward regular minutes with the Knicks.
Evan Fournier convinced his #Knicks run is over: ‘Why would you bring me back?’ t.co/3TCOiMbvC8 via @nypostsports
“There’s no way they’re going to keep me. I would be very surprised if they did,” Fournier said. “So we’ll see. It’s obviously not in my hands…My season has been over for a very long time, actually. This officially is the end, but my season was over a long time ago.”
Fournier chose to join the Knicks rather than re-sign with the Celtics after they had acquired him in February 2021, where he played 16 regular-season games, averaged 13 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 3.1 assists per game while shooting 44.8% from the field and 46.3% from deep.
Yam Madar Wins EuroLeague Rising Star
While Fournier’s career looks to be floundering, it would appear that Celtics draft-and-stash prospect Yam Madar’s career is going from strength to strength, as the young guard was recently crowned as the EuroLeague’s rising star.
The 2022-2023 𝗥𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗿 is the first year man Yam Madar of @PartizanBC, he is only the fourth first year player to win the award. 🏆
The Rising Star award is voted on soley by the EuroLeague head coaches
Madar, 22, is currently under team control but, as things stand, has no direct path into the Celtics’ primary rotation due to the strength in depth at the guard position. However, Madar has certainly made the most out of his first season in the EuroLeague, playing in 38 games and amassing a stat line of 5.8 points, 1.2 rebounds, and 1.6 assists per contest while shooting 52.8% from the field and 33.8% from deep.
Derrick White Spills Truth on Being Benched
Ahead of the Celtics’ game six contest against the Philadelphia 76ers, veteran guard Derrick White was removed from the starting lineup, as head coach Joe Mazzulla went with a double-big starting five, which included Robert Williams.
When speaking to the media on May 13, White noted how he was ‘all for’ the change, as he understood that the move was being made with the team’s chances of success in mind.
Derrick White said Joe Mazzulla let him know the Celtics would be starting Robert Williams: “And I was all for it.”
“I’ve always been that it’s all about the team. It’s not about me.”
“I was all for it,” White said. “I’ve always been that it’s all about the team. It’s not about me.”
White, 28, played in all 82 of Boston’s regular-season games this year, contributing 12.4 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 3.9 assists while shooting 46.2% from the field, 38.1% from deep, and 87.5% from the free-throw line.
The Celtics ended up winning their game six contest on May 11 and forcing a game seven against the Sixers, with the winner progressing onto the Eastern Conference Finals, setting up a series against the Miami Heat as a result.
That game seven is set to take place on Sunday, May 13, at the TD Garden, with both teams needing just one win to knock their rivals out of the playoffs and be crowned the winner of what has been a closely fought contest between two of the more talented rosters in the Eastern Conference.