As the Washington Wizards continue to build out their roster after trading Bradley Beal to the Phoenix Suns last offseason, they’ve used two lottery picks on a pair of French prospects —Bilal Coulibaly and Alex Sarr —whose defensive floor gives them a solid baseline as players.
In order to ascend to a star level, they’ll have to hone their talents at the offensive end. With that said, due to their youth, every rep that they can get is important.
Right now, Sarr is preparing for his first taste of NBA action with Summer League revving up. Never hesitating to play into the drama, the NBA scheduled their first game to be against the Atlanta Hawks. With Sarr refusing to be drafted by the Hawks at No. 1, the heat will be on in Las Vegas.
However, Coulibaly will be back home in France after making the cut for the Paris Olympics. Joining him from the NBA will be San Antonio Spurs big man Victor Wembanyama, Minnesota Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert, Los Angeles Clippers forward Nic Batum, free agent Frank Ntlikina, and free agent Evan Fournier. Les Bleus are expected to contend for a medal, along with Team USA and Canada Basketball.
Wizards Targeting Evan Fournier As They Round Out Roster
Interestingly, Fournier may find himself a teammate of Coulibaly’s in the league soon enough, as the Wizards have “expressed interest in signing” the 12-year veteran, according to NBA insider Marc Stein.
“The French veteran, 31, would naturally hold appeal for the Wizards as a potential mentor to countrymen (Coulibaly and Sarr).”
Last season, Fournier averaged 6.9 points per game on a career-low 25.4 percent shooting from 3, his second consecutive season shooting below 31 percent from beyond the arc.
To that point, it’s easy to see why he remains unsigned. He’s coming off of the worst season of his career. Though his numbers are somewhat skewed by sporadic playing time, the film backs it up. He’s lost pop, which often makes him a liability on both ends.
Some nights, he has enough juice to remind everyone how he became one of the league’s more popular players. After all, Fournier averaged 16.2 points per game while shooting 38.1 percent from deep from 2015-16 to 2021-22. Nonetheless, he’s past his physical prime, which makes him more valuable for his intangibles than his on-court production.
For the Wizards, his ability to mentor Sarr and Coulibaly as a fellow Frenchman provides a legitimate benefit.
There’s a lower chance of them feeling isolated from their culture, which could help them be more comfortable and engaged. From a communication standpoint, words that might get lost in translation don’t have to. Even though Sarr and Coulibaly speak English fluently, French and English aren’t exact parallels. With that being said, Fournier could help facilitate messages from coaches to Sarr and Coulibaly, and vice-versa.
Don’t Google the Rotation?
Due to injury or a lack of readiness, Fournier could end up in the rotation at some point. The Wizards may even begin the season with him getting regular minutes. This approach prevents them from throwing rookies like Kyshawn George into the fire. It also could appease Fournier, who was openly perturbed by New York Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau’s refusal to play him.
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