The Knicks are in desperate need of 3-point shooting after finishing an abysmal 8-for-40 from downtown in Saturday’s game three loss to the Heat in Miami.
It was already the second time this series that New York has gone ice cold from deep, as its typically reliable shooters in Julius Randle, Quentin Grimes, and Immanuel Quickley have lost their shooting stroke since the end of the regular season.
With the Knicks clearly needing a boost from the perimeter, could Evan Fournier be a factor through the rest of the series?
Boomer and Gio wouldn’t rule it out, though they know the free agent bust has been riding the pine for the vast majority of the past five months.
“Are we gonna sit here tomorrow and say ‘Man, the presence of Evan Fournier at the 3-point line was really the difference for the Knicks?’” Gio said.
“They don’t really have enough 3-point shooting to compete with the best teams in the NBA. If he’s on, that’s something he can provide. I know he’s been around awhile, I just don’t know how you go from being on the bench for so long…and going in for this physical playoff series and being a factor.”
Fournier played in just 14 games since Nov. 13, having been exiled from the rotation after Tom Thibodeau shuffled the deck to jumpstart the struggling Knicks. Fournier had been dreadful to that point, shooting under 34 percent from the field, playing shoddy defense at best, and posting a 3-point percentage below league average despite his reputation as a sharpshooter from downtown. But Fournier has consistently kept a positive mindset to the press during his time on the bench, and multiple times this season, has come into unexpected playing time and thrived, like his 17-point outburst in a win over the 76ers in February, where he shot 5-for-8 from downtown.
Could he provide similar production off the bench in the playoffs, especially with Immanuel Quickley listed as doubtful for game four?
“Do you remember the last time we saw him this year? He had a great game,” Boomer said. “So, who knows? He is a 3-point shooter. I assume he’s still practicing that.
“He ain’t tired, I can tell you that. He’s been sitting around doing nothing.”
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