Evan Fournier’s debut with the Boston Celtics will have to wait, as on Saturday the new guard was placed on NBA safety and health protocols.
“I don’t want to go into the specific details of everything, because I don’t know all the answers,” coach Brad Stevens said before the Celtics played the Thunder in Oklahoma City. “As for frustration, it’s been a very constant issue for us missing people. But hopefully it’s not in the long run. We’ll see how everything goes and goes from there.”
With Fournier clearing his physique on Friday, it was thought he could make his Celtics debut against the Thunder on Saturday. It is unclear whether Fournier was a positive test or was ruled out due to contact tracking. If it is the latter, by league protocols, it will have to record negative tests for seven days before leaving quarantine.
Fournier was acquired on the trade deadline on the Orlando Magic in exchange for two second-round picks. The 28-year-old goalkeeper has averaged a maximum of 19.7 points in his career and 3.7 assists this season, including 38.8% of 3 in more than seven attempts per game.