Boston Celtics: 3 reasons why Cs should re-sign Evan Fournier

The Boston Celtics and Danny Ainge had a loaded summer ahead of them after falling to the Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference finals in 2020. Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown had their best playoff series in their short careers, yet the Celtics fell short due to injuries, an already shallow roster, and poor coaching down the stretch by Brad Stevens.

To address the latter, Ainge extended Stevens and contested that his shortcomings in the playoffs were a testament to the team and not Stevens’ coaching ability.

As for the Celtics’ inadequate depth, Ainge had his hands tied. Gordon Hayward had a player option for the 2020-21 season, but he had second thoughts about opting into it after suffering another injury in the bubble. Instead of taking the $30 million expiring deal from the Cs, Hayward and his agent decided to seek longer-term security from another team.

The Boston Celtics could not offer Hayward the kind of money he was asking for with Jayson Tatum’s extension on the line, but they could not let him walk after three years of refusing to give up on him.

So Ainge spent weeks trying to figure out a deal that would net the Celtics something in return for Hayward, which turned out to be the largest TPE in NBA history from the Charlotte Hornets.

With this TPE came Evan Fournier, the 28-year-old Frenchman that spent most of his career with the Orlando Magic. The Celtics acquired Fournier, an efficient 20 point per game scorer, for two second-round picks. This deal was one of the better deals in Ainge’s tenure as Celtics GM, but it came too little too late as the Celtics season was already on a downturn.

Grievances about Ainge’s timing aside, Fournier is still technically on the Celtics, as they own his bird rights. It’s unlikely another team overpays for Fournier, so the Celtics should be able to retain him quite easily this summer. But why should they? What does Evan Fournier provide that the Celtics so desperately need?

Here’s 3 reasons why the Boston Celtics would be better off signing Fournier than letting him go.

Reason #1 why the Boston Celtics should resign Evan Fournier: He can shoot

Before the trade deadline last season, Danny Ainge had been quoted many times saying he wanted “shooting with size” as the Celtics struggled to piece together wins. Boston did not want to bring in another defensive liability, but they didn’t have the money or assets to bring any big-name outside threats. But big names aren’t the only names out there.

Fournier is a career-37.9% three-point shooter and was shooting 38.8% from downtown with the Magic before the Celtics acquired him. Fournier could create his three-point shot, using an assortment of side steps, step backs, cross-overs, and hesitations on top of his six-foot-seven frame. He could get his shot off quickly and accurately, on or off the ball, making him a perfect fit beside Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown.

In just 16 games with the Boston Celtics, Evan Fournier cashed 44 of his 95 3-point attempts. His impact on the Celtics spacing was evident the moment he was healthy. The Celtics creators had more room to do what they do best, and there was more player and ball movement.

In particular, Robert Williams and Jayson Tatum were excellent at creating open three-pointers for Fournier, and Fournier returned the favor by making 46.3% of them. The Cs have not had this kind of ancillary shooting since they lost Marcus Morris. It’s high time they got it back.

Having a floor spacer like Fournier leads to a more efficient offense. There is more room on the court to work with, and both the ball and players are moving more frequently. Defenses can’t fall asleep or tighten up, or else they will give up a wide-open shot to a capable shooter.

The Boston Celtics did not have a competent shooter that could influence movement like Fournier last year, and it led to one of the ugliest offenses of Stevens’ tenure with the Celtics. To avoid repeating the past, the Celtics need to make sure they retain Fournier.