NBA Position Rankings: Evan Fournier and the Shooting Guards

Shooting guard remains one of the most important and versatile positions in the NBA. Evan Fournier is still growing there. Has he cracked the top 10?

Shooting guard has been a key position in NBA history. Many superstars have played that position. Michael Jordan, the best basketball player of all time, was a shooting guard. Recently retired NBA legend Kobe Bryant was a shooting guard.

In a league where shooting has become a critical part of the offense, most elite teams have a star shooting guard who can both attack the basket off the dribble and step out and shoot jumpers effectively.

The Orlando Magic have a young and very talented guard in Evan Fournier, whom they believe can be a highly productive player at the position. So much so, they financially committed to him this summer by giving him a lucrative five-year, $85-million deal.

With Victor Oladipo traded away, Fournier now takes full control of the starting job as shooting guard for the Magic. He no longer has to share playing time with Oladipo, and will have more opportunities to continue his development during game action.

The Magic are banking on Fournier becoming a better player moving forward with more experience. In each of his four seasons that he has been in the league, his overall stats have improved.

With Fournier signed long term, he is a franchise cornerstone for the Magic and they are expecting big things from him.

However, how does he compare against the all the other shooting guards in the NBA?

Honestly, Fournier may very well be a top-15 shooting guard. His numbers stack up well against his fellow colleagues at the position outside the top 10.

Fournier is known more for his offense than his defense. He is an above-average jump shooter, who can knock down 3-pointers and is not a liability on the free-throw line.

As a shooting guard, being a skilled shooter is in the position title, so you would hope he is able to make shots.

Although Fournier has a better offensive game, on the defensive side of the ball he can hold his own. He still needs work in that area. But he has shown signs of being more than capable of defending opposing shooting guards. Fournier has the ideal size at 6-foot-7 to cause havoc defensively.

There is still time for Fournier to continue developing his defense and become a solid two-way player for the Magic.

With a strong season in 2017, Fournier can cement himself as a top-15 shooting guard with the potential to eventually crack the top 10 in future years.

Let’s take a look at the top-10 shooting guards in the league.

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