Evan Fournier, France lose control amid Argentina’s pressure

Orlando Magic guard Evan Fournier had his worst game of the FIBA World Cup as Argentina pressured him out of rhythm and eliminated France.

The old adage is shooters shoot. That is the only way for them to get out of cold streaks.

They could try to attack and get to the line to get some confidence and get a free throw to build confidence. But, at the end of the day, the only way for a shooter to get on a roll is to keep shooting and to work to get an open shot to build confidence.

Evan Fournier was confident throughout the entire FIBA World Cup. He was coming around screens from Rudy Gobert and finding space to get into his shot. He was aggressive attacking and getting downhill, forcing the defense to remain unbalanced.

It was Evan Fournier’s attacks off the dribble that gave France a ticket into the knockout rounds and, ultimately, a win over the United States. Fournier was firing with space and confidence, often running the point in pick and rolls. Defenses were struggling to figure out how to contain both Fournier and Gobert and he looked like an All-Star.

This tournament has seen Fournier at his best. It has seen Fournier downhill and making moves confidently and shooting at a high rate. He had taken a few tough jumpers, but they came late in games and he had built up enough capital and confidence to give them a try. There was no hesitation in any of these attacks.

Fournier was under complete control.

That is not always how Fournier plays. His play sometimes devolves into too much isolation and he can force shots off the dribble that seem out of rhythm and out of touch with the offense.

Perhaps for the first time at the FIBA World Cup, a team found a way to limit France’s effectiveness in the pick and roll. They cut off the roll man in Gobert and crowded and pressured the ball handlers.

Fournier felt this pressure and the control and confidence he had built throughout the entire tournament quickly dissipated. Certainly the effectiveness of his game locked down as France struggled to break down Argentina’s defense.

Argentina, wily as ever, put the clamps on France. Their hot shooting cooled off at the worst time. And Argentina had an answer for any attempted run in the second half, advancing to the FIBA World Cup final with an 80-66 win over France on Friday.

Fournier scored a team-high 16 points, but hit only 6 of his 17 shots. He made one of his six 3-pointers and three of his seven free throws. It was not his nor France’s best performance.

They struggled to get Rudy Gobert going (three points, one-for-three shooting and 11 rebounds) as Argentina clogged the lane and used Luis Scola‘s defensive smarts to eliminate the big man.

Argentina’s guards continued their stellar play offensively. But it was their defense as they crowded and pressured Fournier on the perimeter in every pick and roll that led to the runaway win.

Suddenly he was on his back foot and so was France for much of the game.

Fournier did not turn the ball over. But on every pick and roll, it seemed he was forced to retreat. And when he has to take a beat or step back to analyze the defense, it gives them the chance to reset. And Fournier is not a great one-on-one player in those situations.

That is where he starts to force shots. And he was forcing shots. His four fouls were as much about the poor matchups Argentina forced France into as much as it was Fournier trying to force his way into the lane by any means he could.

It was hard for anyone on France to step up — even Nando De Colo struggled to create separation. And that is how a team shoots 39 percent from the floor. It is tough to win in that situation.

Gobert’s defensive impact got blunted too. Scola is smart offensively and was able to pull Gobert away from the basket. France started switching on a lot of screens too and that created plenty of mismatches.

Argentina had an answer for every France shot. And that only caused France to press more.

Argentina did a good job taking France out of its rhythm and its game. For a player like Fournier, this is vitally important. He is a rhythm player. Someone who has to be on the attack to build consistency and separation and unpredictability.

In straight one-on-one sets, he struggles to get dribble penetration and efficient shots. He is better attacking rotations or getting downhill on pick and rolls.

Orlando Magic

By the end of this game, Fournier was trying to force shots and offense. The deficit had grown too big and he was the best player on the perimeter for France.

That was ultimately France’s shortcoming. If a team could cut off their pick and roll game, they could be susceptible to poor shooting nights and stagnant offensive sets.

This is ultimately Fournier’s shortcoming too. While his playmaking and pick-and-roll play look much improved, he is probably not someone who should be a primary offensive option. Nor should he be someone that carries the primary scoring load every night as he has had to for France.

Watching him play it was easy to flirt with the thought of using him as a point guard in some lineups. But that is probably not a good long-term or long-range idea despite his improved play.

Fournier still needs the support of others and consistent shooting and rolling around him to get his most effectiveness.

That will not be the case in the NBA. His overall offensive responsibility will be less and he will have other players for support.

Everyone can be afforded a bad game. Unfortunately for Fournier and France, their worst game came in the biggest moment.

France still has the chance to win a bronze medal. That understanding was on display as Fournier spoke in a team huddle before the team departed for the locker room.