Evan Fournier’s return provides Orlando Magic a small sense of normal

The Orlando Magic started to look like a more confident and feisty team with Evan Fournier‘s return to the lineup. But the team still has a ways to go.

For a few brief moments, things felt like they were back to normal for the Orlando Magic. The team had restored some balance and calm and they looked closer to whole than they had in some time.

Evan Fournier was feeling out the defense and taking the crease it gave him and dropping in a floater or mid-range jumper. That little bit of space Fournier created only helped others get the offense moving. And the team seemed to play with a renewed energy.

In a word, the Magic felt more normal than they have for some time. At least for the first three quarters.

Fournier played for the first time in nearly three weeks after missing eight games with a sprained right ankle. And it felt like a breath of fresh air, seemingly putting many of the Magic’s players back into their preferred roles and set everyone back in motion.

Fournier’s final stat line was fairly meager — 14 points on 5-for-10 shooting with just one 3-point make in three attempts. He had plenty of noticeable rust too, committing four turnovers against one assist. Fournier came off the floor at halftime and told Dante Marchitelli of FOX Sports Florida that it felt like he had missed eight games.

Through three quarters, there was little to complain about from Fournier (rust aside). The Magic were in a good flow tied with the Heat after three quarters. The Magic were -8 with Fournier on the floor at that time and it was true he and the rest of the starters struggled throughout the entire game. But his presence brought the team’s energy up. It seemed to lock everyone back into a more comfortable role.

Things began to felt normal and production was generally up. Or, at least, it felt that way as the Magic built as much as an 11-point lead.

Orlando may have eventually given up the ship. The Miami Heat may have finally cracked a defense that played well for so long. They may have just finally hit 3-pointers — and contested 3-pointers — at a rate the Magic could not sustain. And Orlando can certainly point to their sloppy play in the third quarter where they turned it over 11 times to just 15 field goal attempts.

But things felt more normal on both ends. They could never question their fight. Some form of confidence had returned.

And that bodes well as Fournier gets back into rhythm. Jonathan Isaac will get himself back into rhythm too. And Aaron Gordon is not too far behind him.

Slowly but surely, this team is becoming whole. Or as whole as they will be. And as the talent level begins to increase again, the Magic’s competitiveness and spirit seem ready to increase too.

That also leaves the signs of warning, of course. There is no avoiding the final result in a 107-89 loss to the Heat. The Magic got outscored by 18 points in the fourth quarter, using a barrage of 3-pointers over a defense the slowly became more dispirited as the game went on. Sometimes there is nothing a team can do, but the Magic went searching for their offense and could not find it.

Fournier is not quite in rhythm enough to take control of games off the bounce as he was at the beginning of the season. His willingness to drive or work pick and rolls were not there quite yet. He is still being slowed down.

Orlando’s margin for error remains extremely small. Fournier’s return is not enough to push the team over the top. Especially when he is still scoring beneath his season averages. If anything, Orlando will need more than his season average of 18.3 points per game and 55.9 percent effective field goal percentage to keep this team afloat.

Getting Aaron Gordon back will help too. The burden will slowly get shared with other capable players. But even then the margin will be small.

In Tuesday’s game, Orlando gave up too many possessions to turnovers in a game that was played at a slow pace (for Orlando, at least). The team struggled to move the ball, totaling 14 assists on 33 field goal makes and against those 17 turnovers. Miami’s 3-point shooting won the game, but Orlando’s mistakes left the door open after Orlando took an 11-point lead.

Fournier’s return alone is not going to fix any of this. He will need his time to get back into rhythm and regain his stamina — as will Jonathan Isaac and eventually Aaron Gordon. The team will still make mistakes in this process. And those mistakes will hurt the team.

What was good about how the Magic played was that they seemed to have a raised competitive spirit and edge. Their defense and bench specifically seemed rejuvenated. Fournier’s return seemed to coincide with a return of determination and confidence.

Orlando was far from perfect, but they were never out of the game. Not until the end when they found themselves trying to force their way to stay in the game.

That was a positive sign. And Fournier’s return seemed to have that positive effect.

Of course, results are still what matters. And the result for the Magic remains the same. Orlando still has work to do to change that part.

Next: Grades: Miami Heat 107, Orlando Magic 89

At least, Fournier’s return provided some hope and some sign that change is on its way. Even if it will not be easy.