Evan Fournier needs to be more involved in Orlando Magic’s offense

Evan Fournier has emerged as the Orlando Magic’s catalyst for success this season. What exactly should his role be moving forward?

There are surprises every year in the NBA. Some players finally fade into dust, other players get the minutes that were not available before and others like Evan Fournier find consistency.

Evan Fournier had previously shown he was capable of playing at an extremely high level.

Last year, with Victor Oladipo out due to an orbital bone fracture Evan Fournier was part of Orlando’s starting lineup and he flourished. During that stretch, Fournier averaged 17.9 points, 2.7 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game on 50 percent shooting from the field, including shooting 51 percent from three. After Oladipo came back into the starting lineup, Fournier’s numbers suffered and injuries plagued Fournier throughout the remainder of the season.

To begin this season, Fournier appeared to have found his groove again, this time, in tandem with Victor Oladipo.

In his first 14 games this season, starting primarily at small forward, Fournier averaged 37 minutes, 18.8 points, 2.5 assists and 4.0 rebounds per game on 46 percent shooting overall and 39.8 percent from three.

The key to Fournier’s performance directly related to his role. Last season before Victor Oladipo returned from injury, Fournier was the go-to guy for the Magic offense. The Magic made a concerted effort to get Fournier the ball, and he rewarded the Magic with some stellar offensive play.

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To begin the season it appeared new Magic head coach Scott Skiles intended to get back to the feeding-Fournier formula.

Evan Fournier’s touches through 14 games had  increased considerably this season. Last year with the Magic, Evan Fournier only averaged 38.7 touches per game. This year, that number was up to 57.3 touches per game, according to NBA.com Player Tracking statistics.

However, Skiles was forced to adjust his rotation and as a result, Fournier’s role has shrunk significantly even though Skiles elected to keep Fournier in the starting lineup and send Oladipo to the bench.

In the nine games since Skiles adjusted his rotation which included Fournier moving to the shooting guard spot, Fournier’s numbers have fallen considerably. Fournier has averaged only 28 minutes per game and his numbers and percentages have fallen off a cliff. Fournier has averaged only 9.3 points, 1.3 assists, and 2.4 rebounds per game on 37.8 percent from the field and 36.4 percent from deep.

Now, the reason for changing the rotation was a legitimate one, Victor Oladipo was struggling mightily and the Magic were coming into games way too outsized at the three spot. Fournier gave up a lot of weight to forwards such as LeBron James and Otto Porter which caused Orlando’s defense to fall apart.

In addition, it is a good thing Fournier is not averaging nearly 38 minutes per game for his sake. Fournier would have likely have broken down if he was forced to continue playing that many minutes. Skiles has remained flexible with his rotation, rewarding the hot hand and good play for the most part late in games.

However, Fournier was quicker than the majority of small forwards in the NBA. Fournier was able to free himself on screens, and blow by defenders with his first step.

As a shooting guard, Fournier has more size than most 2-guards, but he does not have the athletic advantage he once had at the small forward position.

Since Fournier’s game does not rely much on his size the change has been a negative one. Without his first step and overall speed advantage coming off of screens Fournier has not been able to be nearly as effective.

“It’s just a different group,” Evan Fournier told Orlando Magic Daily on Sunday. “You have to find your place in that group. It’s just different. Regardless of who is on the floor, I just have to be better. I can’t make any excuses. I have to be more aggressive and play better defense and then I will start finding my rhythm again.”

However, as with most things, with good comes bad.

Orlando has scaled back Fournier’s touches significantly. In the last nine games, Fournier has only averaged 37.7 touches per game — a 34.2 percent decrease per game.

In the last two seasons, Fournier has proven something. He is a good player, but he needs a lot of touches to get into a rhythm.

Contrary to popular belief, Fournier is not at his best as a spot-up shooter, he is much better when he is the ball handler in pick and roll situations.

Fournier in the pick and roll ranks seventh in the NBA (minimum 75 possessions) in points per possession with 0.97 points per possession. In combination with his high points per possession, Fournier rarely turns the ball over, rating out top 11 in fewest turnovers out of pick and roll possessions.

He can clearly produce with the ball in his hands.

Conversely, in catch-and-shoot situations, Fournier is shooting just 40.8 percent from the floor and 39.8 percent from beyond the arc (most of those attempts are 3-point attempts for a particularly gaudy 58.7 percent effective field goal percentage). He leads the team by far with 5.0 points per game on catch-and-shoot plays.

Fournier very well might be Orlando’s most balanced perimeter offensive player, seemingly preferably at the three spot. Teams have to respect his ability to shoot, drive and run the pick and roll.

Next: Orlando Magic refocus on sharpening defense

The balancing act with Fournier is a tricky one. It has been a struggle to find the right role for him within the other players seemingly demanding attention in the Magic’s lineup. For Fournier, letting him become the main option on offense is the way to go.