Celtics' Evan Fournier details difficult experience with COVID-19

Evan Fournier's return to the court Friday didn't go as planned, but it was still a step in the right direction. 

The Boston Celtics guard missed the previous nine games due to COVID-19. Fournier opened up about his experience with the virus after missing all of his shots in a 109-104 loss to the Brooklyn Nets, according to Justin Leger of NBC Sports Boston:

"My experience — where do I start? The first two days I was doing great, no symptoms at all, and then flu-like symptoms, high fever, really tired, fatigue, all that. I honestly stayed in bed and slept for four or five days. The roughest part was ramping up the activity. The last two days of practice was really hard. I had moments where I was doing good and moments where I was exhausted.

"That's why you have to push through it. You have to do it to feel better. I don't want to spend another week just ramping up my activity and doing cardio and all that. I need reps with the guys."

Fournier added that he still wasn't feeling 100% during Friday's game, but he wanted to return to the court with the regular season winding down. 

The former first-round pick is the latest Celtic to share his experience with COVID-19. Romeo Langford discussed his battle with the virus recently, and Jayson Tatum said he has used an inhaler before games after struggling with COVID. 

In 31 games this season, Fournier is averaging 18 points, 2.7 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game while shooting 44.9% from the field and 39.3% from deep. He'll look to help get the C's back on track against the Charlotte Hornets on Sunday.