Evan Fournier did not decide to join his national team for Eurobasket until the summer began. He has taken advantage of the chance and is not backing down.
France drew the play at the end of overtime of their Eurobasket opener against Finland for Evan Fournier. A year ago, when his national team played in the Olympics, he was sitting at home, frustrated with his absence. It seemed a lot of egos were bruised and the relationship would be difficult to repair.
Now, in one of the most important tournaments on the calendar, Fournier was the center of attention. Coach Vincent Collet, who decided to keep Evan Fournier off the Olympic roster despite adding Rudy Gobert following the Olympic Qualifying Tournament, was trusting him to get the job done.
Fournier went off a flare screen and received the pass, draining the game-tying 3-pointer with a little more than 20 seconds left. Fournier was seemingly the hero.
Of course, as things have happened so often in his career to this point, there was no storybook ending. Individual success was fleeting, with team struggles overshadowing the day and filling the narrative.
Fournier’s strong 25-point performance came in a loss. Just as all of his strong scoring performances — a career-high 17.2 points per game — last year seemed to be for naught. His individual success does not always benefit his team it seems.
Among Orlando Magic fans, this phenomenon has made him a flashpoint of criticism. Some fans met posts about his stat line for France as proof Fournier’s individual success does not help his team. Never mind, Fournier added to his late-game bona fides with two clutch shots.
The frustration from a lost season still pains Magic fans trying to figure out how to improve the team as much as it surely stings Fournier who actually played it.
Fournier making $17 million per year as part of his new contract signed last offseason probably does not help matters much either.
None of this is new for Fournier. It was not new with his relationship with the Magic following last season. Nor is it new in his relationship with the France National Team.
It has been a long journey for Fournier to accept this challenge and all the criticism that might come with it. It is still an adjustment period for him. But first, he had to recognize what he was searching for, put behind him any momentary disagreements and commit to the team.
Fournier did not decide whether to accept the invitation to return to the French National Team for Eurobasket until after his early offseason vacation backpacking through Utah with his wife, he told Clement Guillou of Le Monde. His ego, it seemed, had taken a hit the previous year when Collet left him off the Olympic squad. It would be tough to make amends.
But Fournier is a competitor. He still cares deeply about his home country. He was too young to help France win Eurobasket in 2013. And he was disappointed in his performances at the 2015 Eurobasket, where he averaged just 6.8 points per game.
This was his chance to shine and play for his country. And he was going to make good on it. He was willing to swallow his pride a bit and return to the team.
"“All year, I thought I would not come,” Fournier told Le Monde (translated via Google Translate. “Until the last minute. Not by pride! But when [you are away from your wife,] you need a little time to see her again. And then, at the end of the season, in April, we left with my wife in the parks of Utah, in fashion backpacks, as we like. It calmed me a lot. No Internet, nothing. After four days of walking, we started talking about the French team. It lasted 48 hours. And at one point, in the tent, I said to myself: ‘I love basketball too much, I need competition, I need to [compete]. I have not played the playoffs for three years. Six months of holidays, I’m [restless]. Do not let me deny it.’ On the way back I called to say I was coming.”"
Fournier has not regretted it so far, playing some strong basketball for France. They are in line to advance to the knockout stage this weekend. That is when the pressure will really begin.
This was a chance at redemption too. A chance to prove how far he had come and to establish himself as a critical player for France and their national team, even when Nicolas Batum and Rudy Gobert return to the squad. His individual numbers would matter, but so would how far France went in the tournament.
Fournier said he found out he was left off the France National Team last year by the press release on Twitter. Collet was apparently unable to get in touch with Fournier directly before the official press release went out. It clearly seemed to create a rift between the player and his national team.
But ultimately, it is not about the past, it is about the future. And the future is about what Fournier can do for the national team now — and the Magic in the fall.
Team success is ultimately how this group is judged. That was his experience with the Magic last year.
It was a disappointing season for Fournier. He lost a lot of his efficiency individually despite his career high in points. Not to mention a team that he and everyone in the organization believed had Playoff aspirations ultimately fell woefully short. That was as frustrating as anything else.
Fournier may be miscast as Orlando’s lead player and perimeter scorer. He certainly was with the Magic. Indeed, Fournier in that first game against Finland tried to force play a little too much, driving somewhat wildly into traffic. He was still fairly inefficient. Fournier may still be trying to learn that role if his team asks it of him. But it is clear that is not where he is most successful.
Fournier found more success later in the game when he worked off the ball, attacking rotating defenses. His drives became more effective then as he split traps on pick and rolls and got into the paint. Eventually, Fournier drew contact and got to the line too.
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If his 25-point game against Finland was a representation of how he played in Orlando last year, his 21-point effort in the win over Greece was a representation of what he can be. He shot 5 for 11 and hit 9 of his 12 free throws. Efficiency is still something he is working on. But he can clearly be effective leading his team in scoring.
Fournier is averaging 17.7 points per game through three games and shooting 54.4 percent effective field goal percentage. That would more than be enough at the NBA level. And it should be noted in that small sample size, France afforded him a break playing him only 10 minutes in the win over Iceland on Saturday.
He is 14th for the tournament in scoring entering Tuesday’s game, tied with teammate and veteran point guard Nando De Colo. Fournier indeed has stepped up for France. And the team seems poised to compete for a medal.
That will be the kind of win Fournier has hungered for the last few years. The Magic have to hope it will revitalize his focus for the regular season and create some confidence in him to lead the team next year.
Returning to France and playing in Eurobasket was certainly a challenge for Fournier. And the story is not over. France has assuredly advanced, but the knockout rounds will only increase the pressure on him.
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So far, Fournier has shown his willingness and ability to step up to the plate.