Karalis: Evan Fournier could be what Boston has been waiting for, on and off the court

I’ll admit, there was a point in the second quarter where I wondered if Evan Fournier was ever going to really find a groove in Boston. 

Yes, he’d hit his first basket, a 3-pointer, but his shots after that felt rushed. An off-balance corner 3 and a fadeaway in the lane were both way off, and the fleeting thoughts of whether the role or the pressure might just not work in Boston dashed across my cerebrum. 

Then the fourth quarter began. 

One fell. Then another. And a third and fourth, all within a span of 2:16, and all of them assisted by Robert Williams. 

“Since Evan came, my big emphasis has been just to get him going,” Williams said after his eight assist night and win over Houston. “You know, obviously being a new player and not being able to make a shot, it’s a relief when you can make them. So we kept feeding him. Once he hit one, he hit like four or five in a row. We need that, for sure.”

Brad Stevens lauded Fournier’s demeanor, seizing the chance to highlight that Fournier is “a pretty even-keeled guy. ... (he) doesn't look bothered by the fact that he started in that first game 0-for-10. Didn't look bothered by the fact that we didn't give him enough shots as a team the other day. He's just trying to figure out how he can help impact us and we did a better job of finding him tonight, especially once he got going.”

Still, he’s human. 

“It obviously didn't feel good waking up after 0-for-10. I don't think I shot 0-for-10 in my career,” he said. “It felt like shit, to be honest, but you got to move on. You have a game the next day and you have to keep moving forward. Like I said many times, I try to stay in the moment and the next day.”

And herein lies the twofold find in Fournier. The Celtics have needed two things: scoring off the bench and someone who doesn't hear a flushing sound in his brain when adversity hits. Fournier could be both.

“Early on in my career, when I had a few bad games in a row, I used to be really hard on myself and talk to me in a way that wasn't positive,” he said. “We feel very deflated and I would be down all day. When I had a great game or a few games in a row I would really perform I would feel incredible. Like, I would have extreme confidence. Over the course of a season with 82 games or 72 this year, you know, you can't sustain that. You gotta have a mentality where you can perform all year long with the same attitude. I think it's just experience at that point."

How refreshing does that sound? Stevens probably wants to take that quote and put it over the door of the locker room. Notre Dame has “play like a champion today,” why can’t the Celtics print this quote out and nail it to the door? At least hand it out to all the young players in the locker room. His is an attitude that is sorely needed here.

Fournier, in a way, represents possible salvation for this year’s team. It’s almost as if Fournier is coming along in a boat, and the Celtics are waving to him frantically as they cling to driftwood. Maybe that’s why Kemba Walker was so demonstrative in his celebrations after each of Fournier’s fourth-quarter shots fell. He flexed on the sidelines, shouting who knows what through his mask, all the while blocking the coaching staff’s view of the court.

"As a new guy, when you see your teammates, first of all, looking for you on the court and second, be happy for you, it means a lot. You know, when you come in and you don't know anybody really, and you see the guys being that excited for you, it means a lot. I really appreciate them," Fournier said.

Fournier’s Fourth seems like a good name for a racehorse, and it could be the kick the Celtics need for this home stretch. A Boston team known for relaxing late when it has leads suddenly has a legitimately lethal shooter who can step into those notorious voids. 

"Well, it feels good, obviously. But it feels even better that we got the win,” Fournier said. “It's my first win as a Celtic and it's just a good overall night. I'm going to enjoy a glass of wine tonight and I'm going to sleep very well."

He made sure to specify it was going to be French wine, because of course. Wyc Grousbeck is a tequila guy, but if Fournier can keep this up on and off the court, the team might chip in to build him a whole wine cellar for his postgame celebrations.