Orlando Magic guard Evan Fournier is airing out NBA athletes for sitting the rest of the season despite being healthy. Fournier responded on Twitter to a Woj tweet reporting that Washington Wizards Forward Davis Bertans is opting out of returning to play next month.
“This is what’s wrong with the NBA now man,” Fournier said on Twitter. “If you think it’s ok to sit and watch your teammates play while you’re perfectly healthy it says a lot about you,” Fournier said in a separate tweet.
Bertans has had a productive season in his first with the Wizards averaging a career-high 15 points in his 4th year in the league. Bertans reportedly had dealt with two ACL injuries in the past and seemingly doesn’t want to risk injury in what has been, to say the least, a weird NBA season. A third injury could potentially end Bertans’ NBA career.
The Washington Wizards while somewhat competitive during the regular season fighting for what would’ve been the last spot in the playoffs don’t seem to have a real shot at the NBA Finals this season. After a strong season off the bench, Bertans could be looking to secure the bag for his future.
Load management was a big debate during the season with many players like Kawhi Leonard, Kyrie Irving and Paul George sitting out of games while healthy. Rather than managing his season, one could argue Bertans is load managing his young career.
