Evan Fournier erupts in fourth quarter, not enough for France
France finally unleashed Evan Fournier in the fourth quarter. But it was not enough as Germany advanced to the quarterfinals in Eurobasket.
Germany withstood the punch from France’s early offensive onslaught and slowly worked themselves back into the game. They put the ball in the hands of their best players — Atlanta Hawks guard Dennis Schroder and Boston Celtics prospect Daniel Theis — and worked their way back into the game.
As Germany started to pull away, attacking the basket and kicking out or finishing at the rim while frustrating France’s guards on defense, it seemed like France’s tournament was over.
Not quite. Not while there was still a little bit of fight left in Evan Fournier.
Fournier was a bit slow to start but he was not going to let France bow out without having a say. He scored 19 of his 27 points in the fourth quarter, hitting several big shots down the stretch that brought France to within three points with 11 seconds left.
Fournier attacked the basket aggressively and got to the foul line. He got open for 3-pointers and drained them. He had the defense off balance and stunned. Fournier picked up steals as he applied defensive pressure and got run outs on multiple positions. Maybe it was Germany’s light defense — they led by seven points with two minutes to play — but Fournier took advantage of the holes and scored.
After going almost the entire game without getting many looks for shots, Fournier went supernova to give his team every chance to win.
It was just too little too late.
With 11 seconds left, Fournier was bringing the ball up as Germany prepared to foul him to prevent him from taking a three. He read the defense and forwarded the ball to Nando De Colo. After weaving his way through the paint, De Colo got to the top of the key and fired a three. It did not fall and France’s Eurobasket run ended with an 84-81 defeat to Germany in Istanbul.
Fournier finished the game with 27 points on 10-for-17 shooting. He added four steals and two assists to his name.
Except for a brief spurt at the end of the third quarter and his fourth quarter run, France largely left him on the margins of the game plan.
Some of that might have been Fournier was playing mostly at small forward with Germany forward Robin Benzing guarding him. The 6-foot-10 forward was tough for Fournier to shake, either off the dribble or off cuts. It was even tougher for Fournier to defend him as Fournier got trapped defending him in the post and had no chance to stop him.
EVAN FOURNIER. B+. Evan Fournier was the only reason France had a chance to win the game late as he took over offensively after France largely left him out of the game plan in Saturday’s loss to Germany. He finished with 27 points on 10-for-17 shooting, dropping 19 points in the fourth quarter alone, many in the final three minutes to lead France to within three points.<p>No one could fault Fournier’s aggression. When he had his opportunity, he was smart with the ball and attacked when the lane was there. He was again good at drawing contact and finding the holes in the defense. He has shown that throughout the tournament. Fournier’s passing and patience on pick and rolls and drives was very impressive. He just needed the opportunity.</p><p>Fournier still has some flaws. None that should be too surprising for Magic fans. Defensively, he often got matched up at the 3 against 6-foot-10 forward Robin Benzing. That was not a favorable matchup. But he still had some struggles keeping his man in front of him. He did OK containing Dennis Schroder when the two were matched up. But as Germany began to assert control in the third quarter, Fournier was guarding Schroder and struggling to provide much hindrance.</p>. G/F. France
Those mismatches may have kept Fournier from making the impact France would need him to. And that became clear as Thomas Huertel cooled off and Nando De Colo struggled. France’s two lead guards shot 4 for 15. Ultimately Germany’s size and athleticism were able to counteract the efforts from Kevin Seraphin, Boris Diaw and Joffrey Lauvergne.
As Germany pulled away the element that was missing was Fournier. And when France finally turned to Fournier, he began to deliver.
Throughout the tournament, Fournier still tended to force play. But when he played within the rhythm of the offense and attacked patiently, he was highly effective. This game was a big example of that. France just turned to its best perimeter player too late.
France, overall, has to be disappointed with the result of this tournament. They showed lots of frustration during the group phase and finished third in their group, drawing a tough Germany team. But this was a winnable game. A game France controlled for much of the balance. But Germany’s athleticism showed through.
Without Nicolas Batum and Rudy Gobert, France’s flaws — their poor perimeter defense and lack of interior athleticism — were exposed. That was throughout the tournament.
Like with the Orlando Magic, Evan Fournier probably should not be the team’s primary playmaker. When the FIBA World Cup comes around in 2019 and the Olympics in Tokyo in 2020, Fournier will likely be fitted better into a supporting role as a shooting guard.
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France certainly learned what Fournier can do. They just have to trust him.