In searching for the diagnosis for the sickly Knicks, there are plenty of symptoms to be found on the offensive end.
They have averaged just 97.8 points per game in their past five contests, which would have entered play Friday as the worst in the NBA as a season total. Their foul shots are down, notching 14 per game through this streak after getting to the line 23 times per contest in their first 11 games. They are shooting worse, there are questions concerning every starter — even RJ Barrett quietly has taken a step back — and a feel-good Knicks season could feel bad in a hurry, especially in a deep East.
But if there is a face of disappointment for a team that has lost four of six, someone who sums up the offensive struggles, it is a player who no longer is even seeing the court late in games.
Evan Fournier was brought in to play good defense, sink a lot of jump shots and be an improvement over Reggie Bullock, who was steady with the Knicks last year and meshed well with emergent star Julius Randle.
The first look was a beauty, when Fournier poured in 32 points in the opening night thriller over the Celtics. But his shot has disappeared since, and he has disappeared in the fourth quarter in the past four games, including Wednesday’s letdown loss to the Magic, in which he was subbed out halfway through the third and never reentered.
“Very inconsistent, obviously,” Fournier said at Knicks practice Friday about his own start to the season. “Kind of like what we’ve been doing as a team, to be honest.
“We’ve had really good games. We’ve had bad games. … In [15] games, you’ve seen my best and worst already.”
More of the latter, as his 41.3 percent mark from 3 last year has fallen to 35.1 percent this campaign. Particularly troublesome has been his fit in the starting unit alongside Randle, both long-term pieces for the Knicks contractually. The Kemba Walker-Fournier-Barrett-Randle-Mitchell Robinson unit has been 88 points worse than its opponent.
The ball has not moved, Randle has struggled and Fournier has been an afterthought with few chances and fewer chances that have been capitalized upon.
The Frenchman and the Knicks believe the chemistry will come with more time.
“I think after 15 games last season, no one was saying that Julius and Reggie had great chemistry,” coach Tom Thibodeau said before the Knicks (8-7) play host to the Rockets on Saturday.
And speaking of time, Fournier needs to earn more of it.
“The way I look at it, I can’t just play like I did with other teams knowing I’d play 32 minutes at least,” said the 10th-year pro, who received more minutes with Orlando and Boston last year. “I know where my shots are coming from, I know how things are going to go for me. So I can get into the game knowing that.
“I think the situation right now is I don’t know how many minutes I’m going to play, so I have to have the mindset of: If I’m going to play 20 minutes, then just come out the gate with extreme energy. Being very alert. Being ultra-aggressive. And trying to have an impact.”
He pointed out that historically, he has been a fourth-quarter player, and the stats back it up. The longer he plays in a game, the better he has been. In minutes 30-39 of his game time, he has shot 45.3 percent from the field, which is only bested by his shooting percentage past 40 minutes (48.4).
But if he cannot be aggressive enough and successful enough early on, those late-game moments don’t exist.
The Knicks wanted more from a shooting guard/forward signed to a four-year, $78 million pact and now who is averaging 12.2 points. In 2019-20 with the Magic, that number was 18.5.
He is not the only symptom for a team that has lost four of six. Thibodeau referenced the Knicks’ recent struggles getting to the line as officials have swallowed more calls and a need to adapt to the changing game. They have been too sloppy with the ball and have shot worse as the season has progressed.
But a hot Fournier would soothe plenty of the pains.
“We’re not worried about that. Evan, he’s a shooter. He’s a great playmaker. Can put the ball on the floor,” said Derrick Rose, who is accustomed to getting accustomed to Thibodeau offenses. “I think we just gotta put the emphasis on just getting plays that Evan can get an open look, so he can get a groove going.”