Evan Fournier had the focus of being the Orlando Magic’s leading scorer and the criticism that comes with it. The real task is using Fournier the right way.
Narratives in the NBA change very quickly. One season’s breakout player and darling can quickly become the subject of scorn the next year. The guy who seems destined to breakout in a larger role can flounder and take on all the blame. Miscalculations lead to players unable to fulfill their new roles.
The Orlando Magic had numerous miscalculations during their disastrous 29-win 2017 season. The plan to go big with Serge Ibaka did not work. The free agent signing of Bismack Biyombo was an overpay even if Biyombo could deliver the team a defensive transformation.
And then there was Evan Fournier — the other big-money item in that summer of 2016.
He had a breakout season in 2016, averaging 15.4 points per game and shooting a 54.6 percent effective field goal percentage, including 40.0 percent from beyond the arc. No one confused Fournier with a potential All Star, but he more than proved himself as a quality role player and starter. Entering his free agency, the going thought was the Magic could probably afford to pay one of Victor Oladipo or Evan Fournier.
They chose Fournier.
And Fournier delivered in many ways. He averaged a team-best 17.2 points per game. But his much-celebrated efficiency disappeared. Fournier had just a 50.8 percent effective field goal percentage and an icy 35.6 percent shooting mark from beyond the arc. All this came with Fournier posting a career-high 23.5 percent usage rate.
Orlando Magic
It sometimes felt like he tried too hard to take on the mantle of “star” when he could not write those checks. That may not be the player he was. And he got the full brunt of star criticism.
Fournier has taken a lot of hits in the battle of public perception as he wades further into his five-year, $85-million contract. The way the Magic used him last year certainly is not ideal. He is still developing as a driver and a playmaker. But putting the ball in his hands to create is not going to work. Not for this team with its poor shooting.
The good news is the Magic saw Fournier return to some of his efficiency after the All-Star Break. He averaged 18.0 points per game and shot a 53.2 percent effective field goal percentage after the All-Star Break. He benefited from the Magic’s stylistic and personnel changes as much as anyone.
Orlando may not see Fournier become a star, but he will be a consistent and solid contributor for this team next year. And that is what the Magic need from him. Because that can produce.
What To Look For
The Orlando Magic at least know how not to use Evan Fournier now. And if they maintain the style they had after the All-Star Break, they should get a lot from Fournier this coming year.
There is no doubt Fournier can produce. He finds his way into the gaps and is efficient when he takes his shot. The narrative some aggrieved fans have about Fournier persists that he is not a good player. It is just the way he is used.
Before the All-Star Break, the Magic relied heavily on him in pick and rolls and in isolation. Perhaps Fournier got it into his head he had to be the main creator and so he drove, seemingly head down, into the lane. He struggled to know when to stop his drive and pass out before pressure enveloped him. His efficiency went down — as did his ability to get open shots since he was the one on the ball more.
After the All-Star Break, it seemed Fournier returned to what made him really good. Fournier had his breakout season in 2016 playing off the drives from Elfrid Payton and Victor Oladipo. The ball would reverse to him on the weak side and Fournier was adept at knowing when to take the open shot or when to attack the rotating defense. Especially if the team ran a quick pick and roll while the defense was getting settled.
Fournier will still have some wild drives. He can still sometimes slow the ball down too much and try to work his game in isolation. He gets himself in trouble when he drives too deep. But Fournier is still a smart player. He makes the right decision on most occasions.
It is just about putting him in the situation where he is playing off of someone else’s work. That is what made him more successful with Payton on the ball more in the second half of the season. And Fournier reaped the benefits of it.
That is the Fournier the Magic want to unlock. Especially since he is the most reliable shooter on the team, or at least in the starting lineup.
What Could Go Wrong
The Magic know exactly how Evan Fournier can go wrong. Putting him in too many isolation sets or relying too heavily on him in the pick and roll can gum up the offense. He is not a fantastic playmaker — his 3.0 assists per game were a career high — but he is slowly gaining experience and poise in those situations.
But even then, he still has a long way to go.
At Eurobasket this year, Fournier got some time to work on the ball. He was most successful when he played off the ball attacking the gaps in the defense. When he tried to force play and drive against a set defense, he often drove into the heart of the defense and got caught too deep as the defense collapsed. It would force him to put up a difficult shot or turn the ball over.
There is still that sentiment Fournier will be the Magic’s key perimeter scorer. Orlando will need some creation from Fournier. Not to mention his scoring.
And that leads to the biggest question regarding Fournier: Can the Magic be a successful team if Fournier is the team’s leading scorer? That might end up being an unfair question to ask Fournier individually. It may be a statement more about the Magic and the rest of their roster that no one else is able to step up.
Still, Fournier is going to carry a large scoring burden. How he handles it is going to be one of the key storylines for the season.
Does he try to force play and create for himself because he is the scorer? Does he try to attack the gaps on the weak side, sacrificing some of his own play and relying on others? How do the Magic balance these two sides to Fournier’s role and growth as a player?
Those are the big global questions Fournier faces this year. He is somewhere between good at what he is and highly efficient at it and probably not good enough to be the main creator or star for a team.
For now, the Magic are probably going to ask him to do more than he is capable of. And Fournier may take the fall for it if the team struggles.
The Slings of The In-Between
Evan Fournier really is in that weird spot.
He is the Magic’s leading returning scorer and their highest paid player, yet nobody talks about him as key to the Magic’s future. The talk always centers on Aaron Gordon (especially) and his development or Nikola Vucevic and his shortcomings and even now Jonathan Isaac. It has been easy to push Fournier to the side and forget what he brings to the table.
Of course, Fournier was never meant to be the star.
The Magic acquired him for Arron Afflalo in 2014 to create a clearer pecking order for Victor Oladipo. The idea was to trade away the veteran Arron Afflalo for a quality shooter they could bring off the bench so that Victor Oladipo could get featured as the star. It seemed like Fournier surprised everyone with just how good he was.
Fournier then got paired with Oladipo more and more — sometimes even pushing Oladipo out of the starting lineup — and forcing a decision for the Magic involving their second overall pick. Orlando may have independently determined Oladipo was never going to become the star they hoped for and pushed forward with Fournier.
That was the first pressure on Fournier. He had displaced the former second overall pick, if not in fact than in actual roster construction.
Again, Fournier was never meant to be a star. And putting the square peg into that round hole was a struggle for the Magic and for Fournier last year. He always worked best in between.
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While Aaron Gordon and Jonathan Isaac likely fit the traditional definition of a “tweener” better, Fournier is the actual tweener on this roster. He has played both shooting guard and small forward to limited success on both and has just had to find a way to fit in.
On offense that has worked well. He fits in when others create and kick to him. He has incredible intelligence and attacking acumen. And give him an opening and he can get his shot off quickly and effectively.
But defensively, Fournier is stuck in between. His defense may still be his greatest weakness.
Fournier is likely not quick enough to guard the lightning-fast shooting guards around the NBA today. But Fournier, at 6-foot-7, 205 pounds, is also not big enough to defend the bigger small forwards seen around the league. In a league that values length and versatility, Fournier is a wing player in the old mode.
That may not bode well for his future with the Magic and their seeming emphasis on that length and switchy versatility. Fournier is a tweener.
That is where he has always operated. He has a great knack of getting in between defenses and exploiting it to his advantage. That is where the Magic have to get Fournier to operate — and hope everyone else can cover up for his lack of defensive versatility or position.
Overall Outlook
The Orlando Magic are still going to rely heavily on Evan Fournier for his offense and scoring. Too many of their other pieces are still not quite developed enough or uncertain to take on the scoring burden. Fournier will need to average around 17 points per game for the Magic to have any success.
But that might also be the thing that holds them back. That is not Fournier’s fault, although it will inform the narrative many fans have about him and his play. But Fournier is probably not the player that should be leading a team in scoring. Yet, that is what the Magic will ask him to do. Again.
That does not mean Fournier will not be effective, have his big games or put up a lot of points for this team. He is the Magic’s best player right now. He may not be the player with the most potential or the player fans are excited to go see every night. But Fournier is consistent and can be very effective when used the right way.
The trick for Orlando this year is more about making sure the team uses Fournier the right way, or at his most effective.
The Magic want to use Fournier in those gaps. They want to get him working against rotating defenses where he displays great intelligence and skill attacking the basket and hitting 3-pointers. Fournier is just a solid player.
The problem for Orlando is the team will ask too much of him. And Fournier, ever critical of himself, but eager to push his abilities and do what his team wants, will do his best to fulfill that role. He is not going to go anywhere and he will find a way to contribute. And contribute a lot.
The question is whether that will be enough for Orlando. Is the most Fournier can give enough to help the Magic take the next step as a franchise? That is a question that has carried over the Magic for the last two years. It will be another guiding storyline this year.
Next: 2018 Orlando Magic Player Outlook: Arron Afflalo
All Fournier can seemingly do is play.