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On Tuesday, Evan Fournier and France played Canada in a highly anticipated Olympic playoff meeting that saw France eliminate the third-place finishers at the 2023 FIBA World Cup. Leading up to the game, Fournier was controversially omitted from the starting lineup after criticizing coach Vincent Collet's gameplan in France's recent loss to Germany.
Along with Rudy Gobert, Fournier was left out of Tuesday's starting lineup against Canada. While there was some speculation among fans as to whether the pair were dealing with injuries, Fournier used his time on the floor well, scoring 15 points in 24 minutes, including a half-court dagger.
After the team jumped out to an early lead, outscoring Canada 23-10 in the first quarter, Les Bleus managed to fend off a late-game run by Canada. With less than a minute left to play and France up seven, Fournier launched a deep three-pointer as time expired on the shot clock.
The heave went in, with Fournier hyping up local fans in attendance, who responded with a huge round of applause for the NBA vet.
In response to his impressive play, NBA fans were quick to react:
"Drug test Evan Fournier. He is NOT this clutch." - One wrote
"He can't do that in the nba" - One wrote
Others took the opportunity to criticize the play of Canada's stars:
"Evan Fournier outplaying Jamal Murray" - One wrote
"Cooked SG Merchant and Jamal furry" - Another joked
"Them Canadians letting Fournier Cook" - One joked
Others weighed in on Fournier's NBA career:
"Everyone gets better when they leave the Knicks." - One joked
"Fiba Fournier different" - Another wrote
Looking at Evan Fournier's recent NBA play, and his performances for France
While Evan Fournier is a well-established NBA vet, in recent years he has seen his playing time drop. His first year in New York under coach Tom Thibodeau he played 80 games, averaging 29.5 minutes per game, including a 41-point outing in early 2022.
The next season, however, he played in just 27 games and essentially found himself out of the team's rotations. As Tom Thibodeau explained, it was hard to argue with the metrics behind his decision to bench Fournier, however that didn't change Fournier's frustration with Thibodeau's decision.
Last season, after just three games, the Knicks traded Fournier to Detroit, where he averaged 18.7 minutes per game.
On the flip side, Fournier has played an integral part in France's success this summer. After posting a 2-4 record through their six international friendly games leading up to the Olympics, Les Bleus went 2-1 in the Group Phase of the Olympics, defeating Brazil in their opener, with Fournier logging seven points.
He then filled the stat sheet in France's OT win over Japan, logging 14 points, three rebounds and six assists in 30 minutes of playing time, before then logging 10 points in France's 85-71 loss to Germany.
After the game, Fournier criticized Vincent Collet's gameplan, creating a rift between he and the coach that saw him relegated to the bench for Tuesday's game. After the team's win, it will be interesting to see how Collet handles things in France's upcoming clash with Germany.
