Evan Fournier has the most to prove at FIBA World Cup

Evan Fournier is coming off a difficult season. With his team poised to do more in the playoffs and the World Cup in sight, he has a lot to play for.

The results were predictable the moment we hit send on the tweet.

Evan Fournier played his first warmup game with France ahead of the FIBA World Cup and put up a rather pedestrian stat line. He scored 10 points on 4-for-11 shooting, hitting two 3-pointers and adding four assists and four rebounds in a 74-69 loss to Turkey.

The reactions were naturally negative. Fans have shifted their focus of ire from Nikola Vucevic, who still gets his share of criticism online, to Evan Fournier.

If this is the team the Magic want to build, then it seems Fournier is the ill-fitting one. A player who is not great creating his own shot but sometimes searches for it too much and struggled last year to hit from beyond the arc. Not to mention his lack of length and defensive versatility that are quickly becoming hallmarks for this team.

Fournier had a bad season last year by almost any account — his consistency especially took a major hit. He scored 15.1 points per game, his lowest since his first year with the Magic in 2015. Fournier shot a career-worst 34.0 percent from beyond the arc.

Fournier had career-best numbers in assists and defensively (although still not a positive, he made incredible strides). But his value is still derived from his shooting and scoring. That is his best attribute.

He did not deliver on that front throughout the season. Even Fournier would admit his disappointment in that and his understanding that he has to fill this role.

It is fair to expect Fournier to bounce back this coming year. The law of averages would suggest Fournier will do that. And shooting a more respectable percentage from beyond the arc — in the Playoffs, it dipped lower to 23.5 percent, a big reason why the Magic were always chasing in that series — should boost the Magic as much as anything.

Even with Fournier’s struggles, he still had a fair amount of gravity. Defenses respect his 3-point shot. And even last year, he was a better player in isolation than Aaron Gordon (0.82 points per 100 possessions to 0.79 in those situations in Evan Fournier’s favor).

The only part missing was the production and that would have changed a lot of the team’s margin for error.

That is why the focus is rightfully on Fournier. He needs to prove himself once again and show that last year was an odd fluke in his shooting — perhaps an increased focus on his defense and playmaking that took away from some of his marksmanship.

The FIBA World Cup will provide the team and fans a preview of Fournier for the 2020 season.

For all the Magic players participating in the FIBA World Cup at the end of the month, it is Fournier who has the most to prove and the most to gain from these games. These games are his way of showing the league that he is still a dangerous offensive player and shooter.

That is why that initial stat line from Fournier immediately drew scorn. It felt like more of the same.

This was a friendly. The first friendly at that.

Players for France admitted their rust and their need to get on the same page. They lost track of shooters and turned the ball over. These are common threads in the first set of games for any team as they come together.

These issues are not concerning unless they continue to happen. And so the important part for France is that the team looks better in their second tune-up against Tunisia on Wednesday.

For Fournier though, eyes will focus intently on him throughout this World Cup run. Moreso than the other players in the World Cup.

Jonathan Isaac, of course, is playing with the Select Team, who began training with Team U.S.A. on Tuesday. He will get to showcase his wares publicly in Friday’s Blue and White scrimmage before he returns to his regular offseason preparations.

Nikola Vucevic will anchor the Montenegro team making its first international tournament appearance in quite some time. Vucevic said his team’s goal is to get out of the group round. But they are expected to make a quick exit from the tournament.

The Magic know what they will get out of Vucevic and his role, while still a primary role for Montenegro, is not one-to-one. Montenegro in the past has run its offense through its guards, leaving Vucevic as more of a pick-and-pop secondary option.

It does appear Vucevic will take a more starring role for this team than he ever has in his international duty. Montenegro will start its prep in France on August 15 in a tournament that will include a matchup between Vucevic’s Montenegro and Fournier’s French teams.

Al-Farouq Aminu will likely take on a bigger role for Nigeria than he usually has with his NBA team. He and several other players are expected to arrive for their camp Thursday.

And Khem Birch will fill a similar role for Canada that he does for the Magic. He will be the team’s rim protector and paint defender.

None of those teams are in serious contention to win in the same way Fournier is with France. And if Fournier plays as he did with the Magic last year, France will find it difficult to compete at a high level. Look no further than the loss to Turkey on Monday.

Fournier will play the same vital role as a floor spacer and pick-and-roll attacker for France that he will play with the Magic.

Fournier’s main task will be to do whatever his team needs to help them win. France is one of the favorites to medal in this tournament. But that is far from guaranteed. They will need a major contribution from Fournier to get there.

And that is where the focus stateside will be when it comes to Fournier’s game.

If Fournier struggles, that will not only hurt France’s chances to win but it will also be a bad omen for the Magic moving forward. It will be a sign that Fournier could be in for another difficult year.

More than any other player at the FIBA World Cup, the Magic will be riding on Fournier’s performance with each game. Just like France will with their hopes of winning the whole thing.

A strong showing will give both teams confidence. A struggling one will leave both teams wanting more.

There is a lot riding on this tournament for him.