Boston Celtics: Evan Fournier proving to be the spark off the team needed

After going 0-for-10 in his Boston Celtics debut, new addition Evan Fournier is proving to be that spark plug off of the bench that the team was so desperate for and thought that Fournier would be. There was no reason to doubt Fournier’s ability, as he has proven himself as an excellent scorer through his time in Orlando, but it’s refreshing to see somebody come off the bench who could provide you with an efficient 20 points on any given night. And that’s exactly what Fournier did against Houston, and almost again against Charlotte on Sunday night.

Although Fournier is an unrestricted agent at the end of the season, and the deal did cost the use of the team’s traded player exception, the Celtics were able to get Fournier for an excellent price of two second-round picks on the day of the trade deadline. Never has it been so obvious that the Celtics need help, bench help in particular, and Fournier is a great get for this spot, as the Celtics try and sneak up the Eastern Conference standings.

Evan Fournier is proving to be the spark the Boston Celtics needed

Fournier’s debut saw the veteran guard put up zero total points, going 0-of-10 from the field. After managing just six points in his next game, Fournier finally hit the ground running on Friday night against the tanking Houston Rockets. Over his 30 minutes on the floor, Fournier shot 61.5/63.6 percent and putting up a healthy 23 points for the Celtics as they picked up a much-needed win on the parquet floor.

Sunday saw the Celtics welcome a Hornets team without former star Gordon Hayward – who is missing time with a right foot sprain – to TD Garden for what would be an impressive showing from the home team. None of the Celtics starters nor Fournier had to play over 30 minutes as the team took care of this one quite early on. After three quarters the Celtics led by 32 points, allowing plenty of time to be allocated to the bench guys. For Fournier, it was another impressive outing. In his 22 minutes, he totaled 17 points and 6 assists, as he acted as the shooter and swingman-type of guy that the team has been crying out for to lead the second unit.

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Fournier linked up with Jayson Tatum well and numerous times throughout the night with Jaylen Brown, picking up plenty of the facilitating load to go with his scoring. Fournier shot 4-of-5 from 3-point range on the night, after going 7-for-11 from deep against Houston. Over the course of these two games, Fournier put together 10 straight makes from beyond the arc – a spark plug.

So far he’s had two cold games and two hot games to start his career in Boston. The thing we do know about Fournier is that he is a scorer. All shooters will have off nights and nights where they have the hot hand, but Fournier’s been pretty reliable throughout his whole career. He’s averaging 18.6 points a game this season, and this is what the Celtics need. It bolsters their bench nicely and provides the scoring to be there on nights where Kemba Walker, Tatum, and Brown are having slow nights or just need the support in general, as there has been a lack of scoring support all season now.

The Fournier move wasn’t perhaps the one a lot of fans were hoping for with the TPE, but it’s a safe and reliable move. The Celtics already had their stars to be the focal point, they mainly needed to address the lack of support. Fournier’s a guy who will help out the team on both ends and like he’s shown over the last two games, has the ability to catch fire and lead the Celtics on runs, something they’re going to need if they want to push on and make the postseason.