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Evan Fournier found the right role after the All-Star Break too

By Philip Rossman-Reich

LOS ANGELES, CA - MARCH 08: Evan Fournier #10 of the Orlando Magic looks to make a pass on the fastbreak during the NBA game against the Los Angeles Lakers at Staples Center on March 8, 2016 in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Victor Decolongon/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA - MARCH 08: Evan Fournier #10 of the Orlando Magic looks to make a pass on the fastbreak during the NBA game against the Los Angeles Lakers at Staples Center on March 8, 2016 in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Victor Decolongon/Getty Images) /
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The Orlando Magic experienced an offensive rebirth after the All-Star Break. That goes for their leading scorer, Evan Fournier, too.

When everyone talks about the Orlando Magic’s 2017 season, it feels like everyone has to talk about it as two separate seasons.

There was the season before the All-Star Break, when the team had Serge Ibaka cluttering up the front court with Nikola Vucevic, Bismack Biyombo and Aaron Gordon and it did not seem like anything could work. Space in that lineup was constricted and forced everyone to sacrifice something of their game.

The one thing it did not do was force defenses to change too much. The Magic faced defenses ready to pack the paint and dare the Magic to shoot. And they could not, consistently. Much of Orlando’s 28th-ranked offense last year came because defenses knew they did not have to worry as much about the perimeter.

A lot of that fell onto Evan Fournier, the team’s best 3-point shooter. Fournier shot 40.0 percent from beyond the arc the year before and never shot worse than 37 percent in any season of his career before last year. The team stripped the starting lineup of several shooters and gave Fournier more playmaking responsibility.

The offensive plans failed. And Fournier’s struggles to take on this new primary playmaking role was a big reason why. Whether it was Elfrid Payton and Aaron Gordon — the two wings flanking Evan Fournier — not taking the step up as shooters the team hoped for or defenses just sticking to Fournier tightly as the only shooter on the floor at any point, Fournier struggle throughout the entire 2017 season. He had his least efficient year of his career.

Despite averaging a career-best 17.2 points per game last year, Fournier shot a career-worst 35.6 percent from beyond the arc. His 50.8 percent effective field goal percentage was the second-worst of his career.

All this came while Fournier posted a career-high 23.5 percent usage rate. In fact, Fournier had never had a usage rate that hovered much higher than 20 percent before last year. So the Magic last year put the ball in Fournier’s hands a lot more and did not reap any benefits from it.

Fournier was moderately effective in pick and rolls — 0.92 points per possession on 285 possessions as the ball handler in pick and rolls according to NBA.com. It was more effective than in 2016 when he had 0.80 points per possession on 255 possessions.

But he had fewer spot-up attempts this year. As the team’s best shooter, that would seemingly be the most effective way to use that skill.

In 2016, Fournier scored 1.05 points per possession on 290 possession on spot-up opportunities. He hit a 53.4 percent effective field goal percentage. In 2017, the total spot-up possessions lowered to 184 possessions. He scored 0.99 points per possession and hit on a 51.9 percent effective field goal percentage.

This is the area where Fournier’s usage changed most. Orlando put the ball in his hands a lot more and could not get him the quality spot-up shots that helped feed his efficiency.

The Magic season was two seasons though. The final 24 games for the Magic were a completely different animal than the first 68. The weight of the data skews heavily toward the first half of the season.

But things changed for Fournier after the All-Star Break. In the same way Aaron Gordon’s stats picked up as he moved back to power forward and Elfrid Payton’s stats changed as he took fewer 3-pointers and attacked off the dribble more.

Before the All-Star Break, Fournier averaged 16.8 points per game and shot a 49.5 percent effective field goal percentage with a 23.8 percent usage rate. His usage rate did not drop much after the All-Star Break (to 23.2 percent), but his effectiveness and production jumped too.

After the All-Star Break, Fournier averaged 18.0 points per game and shot a 53.2 percent effective field goal percentage. His true shooting percentage jumped from 54.5 percent to 57.4 percent after the break. And his free throw attempts per game rose from 4.0 to 4.3 per game. He made 74 3-pointers in 45 games before the All-Star Break (1.6 per game) and 54 in 23 games after the All-Star Break (2.3 per game).

This is all to say, the things Fournier is really good at — shooting and attacking efficiently — seemed to return after the All-Star Break. The focus may have been on Payton’s re-emergence and Gordon’s shift back to power forward, but Fournier also benefited from the style change.

That much is clear. His scoring average hit an even higher level and he maintained his efficiency. That would suggest whatever plan the Magic had for using Fournier before the All-Star Break did not work nearly as well as the plan they had after.

Orlando Magic
Orlando Magic /

Orlando Magic

That plan seemed to be more similar to how the Magic used Fournier in his breakout 2016 season. They had him work more off the ball, attacking rotating defenses. Payton took on much more of the playmaking role.

Orlando tested Fournier’s abilities and miscalculated a bit. But they found a way to get the most from him later in the year.

Fournier seems set to play a similar role for France at Eurobasket. He could very well be the team’s leading scorer with Nando De Colo and Boris Diaw taking on more of the playmaking role. That duo seems fairly similar to the Elfrid Payton-Nikola Vucevic duo for the Magic. And Fournier, like he did at the end of last season, is thriving for his national team.

This suggests Fournier could be due for another solid, efficient season if the Magic play like they did after the All-Star Break. It is another positive sign for Orlando as the team brings back the same starting lineup essentially.

Fournier had his struggles last year for sure. But like so many players on the team’s roster, there was a bright side to end the season. Offensively, Fournier seemed like he fit right into the Magic’s new style.

Next: Nikola Vucevic admits frustration with 2017 season

Like with everyone else, the question is whether he can carry that over.