Getty Evan Fournier, formerly of the Orlando Magic.
If you haven’t heard by now, the Boston Celtics are finalizing a deal that will land them the services of former Orlando Magic starter Evan Fournier. Now, you may be enticed to do some research on the C’s newly acquired wing, learn a bit about his background, check up on his production… you know, get acquainted with the newest member of the Celtics roster.
However, we highly advise against that, even if Fournier himself tries his best to egg you on.
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Evan ‘Never Google’ Fournier Shares Message With Cs Fans
“Hi @celtics fans, If you’re not familiar with me, please Google my last name. You’re welcome,” Fournier tweeted following his trade.
Yeah, about that…. don’t. This firmly goes against Fournier’s demands dating back to 2014 when he tweeted, “By the way, NEVER google my last name. You don’t wanna see that.” A tweet that later fueled the birth of a nickname for the ages — Evan “Never Google” Fournier.
A fitting nickname might we add.
See, Fournier shares a name with a form of gangrene. A rather nasty form of gangrene at that. The type of gangrene Fournier shares his name with specifically impacts one’s nether regions in a gruesome fashion. Most often seen in older men with diabetes, compromised immune systems or alcoholism, the form of gangrene is also sometimes seen in women and children. In other words, you really don’t want to see images of it.
Anyways, moving on.
Fournier Brings a Much-Needed Scoring Punch to Boston
Fournier started all 26 of his game appearances with the Magic this season. However, there’s a good chance that he will come off the bench for his new team. With Jaylen Brown and (to a lesser degree) Marcus Smart entrenched in Boston’s starting lineup, Fournier and his nearly 20.0 points per game could serve as a major boost for one of the league’s least productive second-units.
According to NBA Advanced Stats, only four other teams in the NBA average fewer bench points than the Boston Celtics’ 32.3 ppg through 44 games this season. Those four teams: the Raptors, Cavaliers, Hawks, and Kings have an average record of 19-25 on the year.
The 28-year-old French-born wing is enjoying a career campaign in 2020-21, averaging 19.7 ppg while shooting 46.1% from the floor and 38.8% from 3-point range. Furthermore, Fournier is chipping in with an average of 2.9 rebounds and 3.7 assists in 30.3 minutes per game.
A hefty part of Fournier’s production comes from beyond the arc. Currently, the Celtics are actually tied for the 10th-best 3-point shooting percentage in basketball. However, their 33.8 attempts per game from beyond the arc rank only 20th in the NBA. In Fournier, Boston gets a player who has shot 37.6% from three over his career and has averaged nearly 425 attempts from deep over the past two seasons. In 2019-20, Fournier finished within the top-28 of all players with 6.6 3-point attempts per game.