Evan Fournier shines in France during FIBA World Cup Qualifiers, prepares for Africa Game
Evan Fournier played for his national team once again helping France advance in World Cup Qualifiers. He now readies to play in the NBA Africa Game.
If FIBA had kept up its normal schedule, the world would be preparing for the FIBA World Cup this summer. But the organization wanted to change things up and not fall on the same cycle as the FIFA World Cup. So a new qualifying process was put in place — it is ongoing — and they pushed back the World Cup to 2019 in China.
Qualifying has been taking place all year — the U.S. is coached by Jeff Van Gundy and has used a mixture of G-League players including Rodney Purvis and free agents to qualify. But the qualifying window this summer has allowed for some of the nation’s NBA players to rejoin qualification. The U.S. will not see any NBA players join the fray — the U.S. held a minicamp this past week to keep everything fresh and introduce Gregg Popovich as the head coach.
In Europe, the importance of international basketball is typically very different. And the latest round of qualifying games took on an added intensity.
That included Evan Fournier returning to play for France after a year absence. All to face Timofey Mozgov and Russia in a major qualifying clash earlier this month.
Fournier scored 15 points on 6-for-11 shooting, making just one of five 3-pointers in an 84-78 France win. He added four assists and had the highest efficiency score from FIBA for the game.
He scored 10 points in a 102-52 win over Bosnia and Herzegovina in late June.
It was a good return for Fournier to the international basketball scene. He clearly helped France take a step closer to World Cup qualification.
It is good to see Fournier out on the floor a little bit. With all the changes that have happened for the Orlando Magic this offseason, Fournier is a forgotten but consistent starter. He is reliable it seems for the consistency the Magic know he will bring.
Last year, Fournier averaged a career-high 17.8 points per game while returning to a more comfortable level of efficiency. He shot 37.9 percent from beyond the arc and a 53.8 percent effective field goal percentage.
To be sure, the Magic have miscast him at times as their leading scorer. But he has done nothing but produce and produce efficiently for a team in desperate need of shooting.
That is what France needed and Fournier seemed to fit in well there.
The two wins helped France finish 6-0 and clinch a spot in the second round of qualifying. They will now play six more games and with a strong start are almost assured to advance to China next year.
For the record too, the United States is 5-1 after the first round of play and has advanced to the second round.
They face a tougher road to stay in the top three of their group of five. The U.S. is grouped with Argentina (5-1), Puerto Rico (4-2) and Uruguay (4-2). Every team in their group is at least 3-3 and only the top three teams will advance. One of those teams is Mexico, who defeated the U.S. in June.
Timofey Mozgov also played in that game against France. He scored eight points in about 20 minutes of play. In the previous game of qualifying, Mozgov scored 14 points and grabbed six rebounds in an 84-66 win over Belgium in late June.
Like in the NBA, Mozgov provided solid work around the basket. But still leaves a little to be desired. Like France, Russia advanced to the second round of play. At 3-3, they are just above the cut line for qualification entering the second round.
Fournier will now head to South Africa for the NBA’s Basketball Without Borders program and the NBA Africa Game. Fournier will be representing Algeria, where his mother was born. Fournier reconnected with his Algerian roots last summer, visiting the country for the first time and conducting a basketball camp there.
The Magic’s Director of Player Development and Quality Control Becky Bonner and scout Prosper Karangwa will also be making the trip to South Africa for the game.
Fournier will don the Magic uniform in the NBA Africa Game next Saturday for the exhibition that will also feature former Magic players Bismack Biyombo and Serge Ibaka along with Khris Middleton, Rudy Gay and Dennis Smith.
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It should be a fun exhibition game with several NBA luminaries in attendance for the charitable work and basketball grassroots work going on in addition to the exhibition.