Evan Fournier led the Orlando Magic in scoring last year. But his efficiency was dramatically down and it always felt he was not in the right role.
Evan Fournier was miscast last season. There is no way around it. He is a good player and produced solid numbers but could not lift his team out of the hole it dug itself.
The Orlando Magic last year had a by committee approach. Often the scoring production fell to Fournier. And increasingly, despite his best efforts, he could not deliver.
Fournier averaged a career-high 17.2 points per game, increasing his scoring production by nearly two points per game off his banner 2016 season. That was the year earned him a healthy five-year, $85 million contract from the Magic.
Last year, as it was for just about every player on the roster, was a difficult journey. The Magic came in with high hopes and saw several strong individual seasons, including from Fournier, but the collection of those seasons did not amount to much. A lot of this had to do with the collapse on the defensive end. That collapse made the team’s offensive struggles all the more apparent.
A lot of that had to do with the responsibility the Magic put on Fournier.
In 2016, Fournier averaged 15.4 points per game and 2.7 assists per game. He shot 46.2 percent from the floor and 40.0 percent from beyond the arc. He was efficient and aggressive, posting a 20.1 percent usage rate. Fournier worked more off the ball, attacking gaps rather than as the dominant ball handler.
In 2017, Fournier’s usage had to increase. He had a 23.5 percent usage rate, only behind Nikola Vucevic on the team. His efficiency dropped dramatically, shooting 43.9 percent and 35.6 percent from beyond the arc.
Some of this is natural returning to his mean after a career season shooting-wise. But clearly, Fournier can score more. It is unlocking his efficiency that could make him truly dangerous.
Fournier, as the best player on a bad and underperforming team, took his fair share of criticism. And certainly, he could use some improvement both in his playmaking — he had a fairly meager 14.8 percent assist rate — and his defense — he posted a -2.2 defensive box plus-minus.
It felt throughout the season the Magic asked Fournier to do more than he could.
The question then becomes as the team looks to turn the corner, the Magic have to ask how do they get the most out of Evan Fournier?
Fournier has clearly shown he is a good player who can contribute. Asking him to be the team’s leading scorer was just asking too much. And as the Magic rebuild, they have to find ways to make sure this major player on their team is in a position to succeed.
Attacking the Rotation
Evan Fournier burst onto the scene in the 2016 season. He was a solid role player with promising shooting prospects, but no one saw him as a key offensive player. Fournier’s 2016 season caught everyone by surprise and made the Magic’s Victor Oladipo decision that much more difficult.
What worked for Fournier largely was the way he got his points. In his season-high 29-point effort against the Sacramento Kings early in the 2017 season, Fournier shot 10 for 15 from the floor with just three 3-point makes. Four of his five misses came from beyond the arc.
He was clearly able to attack the basket and get into the paint. But a lot of that happened off ball reversals and attacking a rotating defense.
Fournier is adept at attacking rotating defenses and beating closeouts to create space to get to the basket.
He is also an intelligent cutter. When a player grabs a rebound or is looking to get the ball to Fournier, he knows how to use screens and space to free himself up. It is that little bit of hesitation that enables him to score effectively.
Working off screens, Fournier averaged 0.98 points per possessions with a 47.8 percent effective field goal percentage. He was not a straight spot-up shooter most of the time. He would often use screens to get himself open and then attack the defender as he tried to close out.
This play from that game against the Kings is a perfect example:
Fournier here starts on the right wing and crashes the paint as if he is preparing for a pin-down. He deftly fakes as if he will pop out to the corner to create some space and then cuts toward the left side and an awaiting screen from Serge Ibaka.
Fournier runs off Serge Ibaka’s screen perfectly and creates even more space. He has created essentially an open shot. But with the defense closing in, he adds an extra jab step and runs an impromptu pick and roll with Ibaka. He attacks the middle of the paint and scores anyway with plenty of options to pass.
This is the kind of way Fournier can score most effectively, making quick decisions against an unsettled defense. That is how he can best get into the paint and create better passing situations.
Fournier is a smart player capable of making the right play when given space. The key is to give him that space. If the Magic use him more as a cutter and working off screens, keeping him in more constant motion, they should be able to reap the benefits of his efficiency more.
With a point guard who can get into the paint, like Elfrid Payton, controlling the tempo and doing a lot of the dribbling work to create that separation, Fournier can be much more successful.
Like most players on the team, after the All-Star Break, Fournier was much more successful. He averaged 18.0 points per game and shot 37.5 percent from beyond the arc (for a 53.2 percent effective field goal percentage).
With Terrence Ross also able to cut — the Magic loved to use him on dribble handoffs and curls — an offense featuring motion and screening would seem to benefit Fournier and Ross. It could easily be a direction the team takes.
Isolation Problems
Where Fournier gets himself into trouble is when he tries to work in isolation and slows the game down. He works best when he can attack quickly.
As teams put him further up their scouting reports, the attention paid to him is greater and greater. So when Fournier is forced to break someone down off the dribble, he tended to struggle.
Fournier is not a supreme athlete. He does not have an array of dribble moves. So putting the ball in Fournier’s hands to create for others is a bit of a fool’s errand.
Last year, Fournier isolated very infrequently. He had about 0.7 possessions per game in pure isolation, according to NBA.com. He was fairly strong, posting 1.02 points per possession.
But in pick and rolls, Fournier struggled. He posted just 0.92 points per possession on pick and rolls as the ball handler, shooting 43.0 percent in those situations.
Observationally, Fournier seemed to struggle to try to attack the basket and working off the dribble. He would often drive too deep to where there was no play to make except to force a rushed shot.
He was solid shooting at the basket, but when he got in between — five to nine feet — he struggled, making just 39.3 percent of his shots. Nearly two-thirds of those attempts were unassisted. He was not much of a playmaker, despite averaging a career high in assists.
It is not that Fournier is incapable of playing on the ball. He showed plenty of potential. And, this being his first year as a featured offensive player on an offensively challenged team, Fournier had a lot to learn.
He can certainly improve. But the team’s record this past year suggests the team needs to go away from using Fournier as a primary ball handler. It just was not efficient enough to be an effective mode of attack.
Spot-Ups
Putting Fournier on the ball so much, or needing him to be on the ball, eliminated one of his best skills and traits.
Fournier is a fantastic shooter. A player does not shoot 40 percent in a season or become a career 37.9 percent 3-point shooter without having that ability. Considering the Magic’s issues generating good 3-point looks and spacing, Fournier’s 3-point shooting is critical to the team’s development.
Last year, Fournier had 2.7 spot-up possessions per game, according to NBA.com and scored 2.7 points per game on spot-ups — officially 0.99 points per possession. In 2016, Fournier had 3.7 spot-up possessions per game and scored 1.05 points per possession with a 53.4 percent effective field goal percentage.
The question then becomes why did this number decrease so drastically? How did the Magic’s offense change?
Certainly, Fournier’s increased usage rate suggests he was working more on the ball. His career highs in assists per game and turnovers per game also suggests the Magic asked him to attack more. He worked less in this creative role.
Orlando Magic
According to NBA.com, Fournier drove the ball 6.7 times per game this year, shooting 49.0 percent on such drives, but averaging only 0.5 assists per game. In 2016, Fournier had only 5.7 drives per game, scoring 0.4 assists per game.
Fournier’s scoring off drives increased and his shooting remained relatively flat, but he was not the playmaker the Magic hoped. Certainly, he has the ability to play this role. It is just whether this is his best use.
Fournier is a great spot-up shooter. That much is clear. And considering the Magic’s need for shooting, relying on him more to attack off the dribble was a likely flaw in the offense — and the team’s construction.
That does not mean, Fournier should not be a driver when the opportunity comes. But part of the way the Magic need to use him is to get him back into this spot-up role spreading the floor. Considering his attitude at attacking rotating defenses, it makes sense to use Fournier more off the ball.
Changing Offense
The Orlando Magic’s offense took on a dramatic change after the All-Star Break. Every player seemed to get a huge offensive boost.
As much as anything, it was about getting players in their right roles and modernizing the offense. The team put the ball in Elfrid Payton’s hands a lot more and let the shooters spread the floor. Without two big men in the paint, the offense became much more free flowing.
The results speak for themselves.
Coach Frank Vogel said the team is likely to continue playing this style. That bodes well for several of the players who may remain the team.
Fournier will benefit a lot from this too. Creating more space for him to attack and cut unleashes a lot of what makes Fournier a unique and strong player.
The Magic, as they did of a lot of players, probably asked too much out of his role. They killed a lot of his efficiency and what put him at the top of many scouting reports. The added attention too, eliminated his effectiveness as he tried to explore new aspects to his game.
The Magic are doing something of a reset this coming offseason. They need to get their players in the right roles as much as they need to increase talent. That is, if the Magic truly believe they are closer than everyone suspects to making a Playoff bid.
Fournier is a key part of that. In the second year of his four-year, $85 million deal, Fournier is likely to be part of the roster for some time to come. Finding the best way to use him is going to be critical for the Magic’s future.
It is clear the Magic have to tailor a different kind of offense. One based more on movement and spacing will create more offensive success for the Magic. With the team’s lack of a go-to scorer, this is the best way to create space and opportunity for a player like Fournier to attack. Other players will benefit too.
The Magic got a lot out of Fournier last year but clearly could get more. They need his efficiency to become successful. And it is here where Fournier is not only most effective but helps others get more involved.
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Next year, the Magic should be looking to use Fournier more as a weak-side spot-up shooter, able to attack rotating defenses to get into the paint, and as a cutter to preoccupy the defense and create driving and passing lanes for the point guard.