3 Reasons Why the New York Knicks Should Bench Evan Fournier

Evan Fournier in a Bench Role Makes For a Less Crowded Starting 5

Fournier at his best is still a better offensive player than Grimes, Quickley, or Burks, so he can make for quite the scoring punch off the bench when high usage guys like Julius Randle and Kemba Walker are resting.

Speaking of the starters, a change can be very welcome considering the usual suspects have been unable to play winning basketball for most of the season.

There has always been kind of a log jam in terms of how many shots there are to go around. If the last week has been any indication, the Knicks are a very good team when Walker and Randle are at the forefront on offense scoring and making plays.

As someone who is in the back seat at times as a starter, Fournier can be just as effective while seeing as many looks on offense in a reserve role. As a result, RJ Barrett will get more responsibility on offense with the starters.

Barrett is another player who has been really troubled with his ability to put up points. He is best utilized when the ball is in his hands, so Fournier shifting to the bench makes for one less mouth to feed and would hopefully allow Barrett to find new life.

Remember I said Grimes should start? Well, this is just another reason why he is the better fit, as Grimes can be a great tool on offense without taking a ton of shots or being tasked with iso-scoring and setting up teammates.

Fournier can and should be the first player off the bench in this scenario. New York can still have plenty of minutes with the original starters sharing the floor together.

In more ways than one, a more limited role for Evan Fournier, specifically one in which Quentin Grimes replaces him as a starter, can do wonders for the Knicks.

It allows the team to have Fournier figure out his problems while not giving up on him as a lead option during segments of each game.

Other players will be able to benefit as well with Fournier’s minutes seeing rearrangement.