If the Knicks are to reach their postseason goals this season, they will need Evan Fournier to play up to his $78 million contract.
After struggling badly from the floor over a recent 11-game stretch, shooting just 37.4 percent and watching his fourth-quarter minutes evaporate, Fournier has finally started to show signs of breaking out, most recently his 26-point performance in Tuesday's win over the Lakers, where he shot 8-for-14 from the field and 6-for-9 from downtown.
"Regardless of what's going on and how we play, regardless of outside circumstances, I always try to focus on myself, look at myself and try to play the best I can," Fournier said. "Just try to be aggressive, take what's in front of me, and try to be decisive in everything I do."
Fournier has shown some more confidence of late, at least in spurts. This past weekend, Fournier shot 7-for-13 from the floor and hit five of his 10 triples in a win over the Rockets. He crashed back down in Sunday's loss to the Bulls, shooting just 1-for-7 from the floor, but found his groove again on Tuesday, much like he had to start the season before falling into a prolonged funk.
Fournier, the team's biggest offseason acquisition, is critical to New York's success as one of the team's new starters. When Fournier scores 15 points or more, the Knicks are a perfect 5-0 this season, and just 2-5 when he scores less than 10. It has been a struggle for Fournier to find consistency, and the Knicks have had the same problem overall, particularly with their starting lineup on the floor.
Fournier was one of the only starters to see regular playing time in the fourth quarter on Tuesday night, as the starting lineup continues to search for its stride. Fournier's fourth-quarter playing time on Tuesday comes after he was on a recent seven-game stretch where he was benched the entire fourth quarter of six of those games. So Tuesday night's workload, which totaled 42 minutes, the most since opening night, was a welcomed sight for Fournier.
"Of course I'm more comfortable on the court than on the bench," Fournier said. "I don't know what to tell you. As a player, you want to stay on the court as long as possible. I enjoy the moment."
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