Reason #2 why the Boston Celtics should resign Evan Fournier: Playmaking
The 2020-21 Boston Celtics lacked many things, but passing was arguably their biggest woe. Outside of Jayson Tatum and Marcus Smart, the Celtics’ offensive possessions consisted of many ball stopping, missed reads, and stagnation for most of the season. Even with the addition of Jeff Teague, Boston struggled to run primary pick and rolls or perform rudimentary kick-outs.
Boston’s role players struggled to make decisions with the ball and rarely ended up making the right play in the end. They would dribble out the entire shot clock before rushing a lob or chucking up a buzzer-beater fade-away. The only consistent passers the Cs had off the bench were Payton Pritchard and Robert Williams, whose minutes were inconsistent until Teague and Theis were dealt.
Stagnant and uncreative offenses do not win championships. One of Brad Stevens’ biggest blights with the Boston Celtics was his rather bland offensive schemes. From the time Stevens coached Isaiah Thomas to his last game coaching Jayson Tatum, Steven’s offensive systems seemingly regressed from year to year until he got all the way down to isolation basketball. Some of these shortcomings were due to a lack of personnel, but Stevens still did not put his best foot forward two out of the three last Celtics’ seasons.
It would be in Stevens’ best interest to provide Udoka with the passers Stevens himself lacked the past few seasons. Luckily for him, one of those passers is already on his roster, ready to be resigned.
Evan Fournier is an excellent extra passer and even better at driving closeouts. He can put the ball on the deck and make decisions on the fly, possessing the ability to perform kick-outs, lobs, and dump-offs to cutters. With Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown on the perimeter and Robert Williams under the rim, Fournier will have many options in front of him when he is looking to pass.
Fournier’s vision and passing ability will also encourage player movement. The Boston Celtics’ role players will cut more and relocate around the perimeter if they know Fournier is looking for an outlet. The more the Cs can get their guys to move, the more efficient their offenses will be. This player movement includes Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, who are elite cutters and shooters if they have someone who can deliver them the ball. That someone is Evan Fournier.