If the new arbitration rules frustrate some attackers (Trae Young, James Harden…) and some of their coaches, on the other hand, they make the players or teams happy who rely on their defense. This is the case of Draymond Green for example, but also of the Knicks where Evan Fournier is the spokesperson for his teammates.
“It was actually very frustrating for me for years. I don’t like to make comparisons, but when you come from Europe, you have guys who are not as physical and athletic as they are here ” reminds the Frenchman in the New York Daily News. “As a result, as a rookie, I was doing fault after fault, fault… And I was there, not to understand. I am thin. I am not that strong. But I think the NBA did a great job. We have to adapt. As a fan, I think it’s better because you don’t want to see guys spending their time trapping the refs. “
“In the past, when we tried to cheat, the referees whistled for an offensive fault”
A speech shared by Tom Thibodeau, one of the greatest defensive specialists in the NBA.
“I think we are on the right track” considers the coach of the Knicks. “If you go back 20 years – and some of us can – you had to make an aggressive move towards the circle to get two free throws. And then we got to the point where players cause fouls with gestures that don’t look like basketball. And that is not the purpose of this sport. The goal is to have a rhythm. If a player makes an aggressive move towards the basket and is fouled, he should be entitled to two free throws. In the past, when we tried to cheat, the referees whistled an offensive foul. This usually eliminated the problem ”.
For Fournier, this change gives interest to the regular season. First because the defense is rewarded, then because there are fewer free throws per game, but also because there is a homogenization with the refereeing in the playoffs.
« We also want that playoff atmosphere during the regular season too »Concludes the Frenchman. ” Because they don’t whistle the same way in the playoffs and that’s how the game should be. And I like it. 100 %. »
| Evan Fournier | Percentage | Rebounds | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | MJ | Min | Tirs | 3pts | LF | Off | Def | Until | Pd | Fte | Int | Bp | Ct | Pts |
| 2012-13 | THE | 38 | 11 | 49.3 | 40.7 | 76.9 | 0.2 | 0.8 | 0.9 | 1.2 | 1.7 | 0.5 | 0.8 | 0.0 | 5.3 |
| 2013-14 | THE | 76 | 20 | 41.9 | 37.6 | 75.6 | 0.5 | 2.2 | 2.7 | 1.5 | 2.4 | 0.5 | 1.3 | 0.1 | 8.4 |
| 2014-15 | ENT | 58 | 29 | 44.0 | 37.8 | 72.8 | 0.5 | 2.2 | 2.6 | 2.1 | 2.0 | 0.7 | 1.4 | 0.0 | 12.0 |
| 2015-16 | ENT | 79 | 33 | 46.2 | 40.0 | 83.6 | 0.4 | 2.4 | 2.9 | 2.7 | 2.7 | 1.2 | 1.7 | 0.0 | 15.4 |
| 2016-17 | ENT | 68 | 33 | 43.9 | 35.6 | 80.5 | 0.7 | 2.4 | 3.1 | 3.0 | 2.7 | 1.0 | 2.1 | 0.1 | 17.2 |
| 2017-18 | ENT | 57 | 32 | 45.9 | 37.9 | 86.7 | 0.4 | 2.8 | 3.2 | 2.9 | 2.4 | 0.8 | 1.7 | 0.3 | 17.8 |
| 2018-19 | ENT | 81 | 32 | 43.8 | 34.0 | 80.6 | 0.5 | 2.7 | 3.2 | 3.6 | 2.8 | 0.9 | 1.9 | 0.2 | 15.1 |
| 2019-20 | ENT | 66 | 31 | 46.7 | 39.9 | 81.8 | 0.3 | 2.3 | 2.6 | 3.2 | 2.4 | 1.1 | 1.9 | 0.2 | 18.5 |
| 2020-21 * | All Teams | 42 | 30 | 45.7 | 41.3 | 78.8 | 0.2 | 2.8 | 3.1 | 3.4 | 2.3 | 1.1 | 1.7 | 0.5 | 17.1 |
| 2020-21 * | ENT | 26 | 30 | 46.1 | 38.8 | 79.7 | 0.2 | 2.7 | 2.9 | 3.7 | 2.1 | 1.0 | 2.1 | 0.4 | 19.7 |
| 2020-21 * | BUNCH | 16 | 30 | 44.8 | 46.3 | 71.4 | 0.3 | 3.0 | 3.3 | 3.1 | 2.6 | 1.3 | 1.2 | 0.6 | 13.0 |
| 2021-22 | NYK | 5 | 33 | 43.1 | 41.9 | 75.0 | 0.2 | 3.4 | 3.6 | 2.4 | 2.4 | 1.2 | 1.0 | 0.6 | 17.2 |
| Total | 570 | 29 | 44.9 | 38.0 | 80.5 | 0.4 | 2.4 | 2.8 | 2.7 | 2.4 | 0.9 | 1.7 | 0.1 | 14.4 | |
