Evan Fournier is the Orlando Magic’s most underappreciated player

Every team has players who fly under the radar. Whether that be nationally or locally. Evan Fournier fits that description best for the Orlando Magic.

Recently, Bleacher Report’s Dan Favale gave his thoughts on the most underappreciated player on each NBA team. His pick for the Orlando Magic was Nikola Vucevic.

There is another candidate who is a more underappreciated player on the Magic than Vucevic. Evan Fournier is just as important as Vucevic, but does not get talked about nearly as much.

The Orlando Magic signed Evan Fournier to a massive five-year, $85-million contract this offseason. Orlando has bet on Fournier to be one of their building blocks as they try to re-enter the playoffs.

But the chances are not many people outside Orlando know Fournier was one of Orlando’s best players last season. The majority of people probably assumed Victor Oladipo was a superior player to Fournier. But the answer is not that simple. He did a decent job on both sides of the floor last year and took a significant step in his overall game.

Fournier’s offensive game as a whole is still developing, he has range from the outside and is a crafty finisher, but Fournier’s ability to create for teammates is still in question. He should be able to show improvement as he is still only 23, and the Magic will need him to be better if the team is going to return to the postseason in 2017.

Fournier was put on the backburner when fans had their eyes on Oladipo and Aaron Gordon.

Fournier was productive and helped the Magic win games. But he is not going to be on the team’s highlight reel or be the go-to guy on a nightly basis. What he does though deserves some recognition.

Fournier is not discussed nearly enough even with all of the good he does for the team. The Magic gave him a chance to prove he could be a secondary option, and he came through.

Fournier is easily one of the Magic’s top players and needs to be treated like one.

That does not mean anyone should ignore Vucevic. Nationally, Vucevic is largely ignored despite his gaudy numbers.

Here is some of Favale’s argument for Bleacher/Report:

"Nikola Vucevic had a strong case as the NBA’s most underrated big man long before this summer. Then the Magic traded for Serge Ibaka and signed Bismack Biyombo.This is what Vucevic gets, apparently, for playing like an All-Star. Since 2014-15, he is one of four qualified players who are compiling 20 points and 2.5 assists per 36 minutes on 50 percent shooting. That puts him in the company of Kevin Durant, Blake Griffin and LeBron James, and yet, he’ll be left scrounging for minutes and touches on a Magic roster that isn’t built to accentuate any of his best qualities."

All things considered, when looking at the team in the national view, Vucevic is not a bad choice. Not many casual NBA fans are aware of how talented Vucevic is.

Last season, Vucevic was arguably the Magic’s best player. He led the team in points per game (18.2) , rebounds per game (8.9) and blocks per game (1.1).

Although it may be hard to admit, the market size and the Magic’s lack of national television appearances play a role. If you are not a Magic fan, odds are you do not see a lot of Vucevic. Plus, the team has been in the Eastern Conference’s basement for a while now which does not help with perception.

When thinking of the Magic fan base’s view as a whole, there is going to be a lot of criticism with Favale’s selection. Vucevic is a well-known commodity in Central Florida. A large contingent of fans love his offensive game. And, with the departure of Victor Oladipo, Vucevic may be the most popular player on the team.

Although Vucevic has his fans, Vucevic does have his critics. He has a flawed game that may be the reason why the Magic brought in two defensive bigs to help him out. Vucevic is a liability on defense and has been his entire career.

One of Favale’s reasons Vucevic is underappreciated is the Magic’s offseason additions of Bismack Biyombo and Serge Ibaka.

These two players are rim protectors, the opposite of Vucevic. Vucevic is a good center, but he is not a player to build around. Even with his numbers being as good as they are, the Magic are still one of the worst teams in the league.

Adding these two players is not a shot to Vucevic’s talent, he has a lot of it. But his skill set may not fit into the modern NBA.

Both Vucevic and Fournier are plenty underappreciated. Certainly a product of being outside the limelight. Fournier though has worked more in the shadows than any other player. He has been a good supporting piece for the team. This year though he steps to the front. Last season in his role, eh showed he was capable of succeeding.

Next: Orlando Magic Daily Mailbag: Basketball Jones

Now the rest of the league will get to discover that too.