Orlando Magic Best of the Decade: The All-2010s Team

Small Forward — Evan Fournier (2015-20)

Like with Nikola Vucevic, Evan Fournier has come to represent the failure of the Rob Hennigan rebuild. Like Nikola Vucevic, Evan Fournier is the one who survived the massive overturn and the failed steps along the way. He is still a painful reminder of those days.

There were decisions along the way and foibles and flaws along the way that deserve criticism. But there was also a really good player who has given a lot of great moments and minutes to the Magic.

Fournier is averaging 15.9 points per game and a 52.7-percent effective field goal percentage. He has shot better than 35 percent from beyond the arc in every year but one — unfortunately for him, it was last year during his team’s greatest successes.

Team success is really the only thing that is missing. But Fournier has continued to produce and play well within his role for the Magic. He was one of the few players the Magic brought in that seemed to fit with whatever the team had around him. The Magic had a lot of mismatched pieces, Fournier was the one that always seemed to fit.

The Magic wanted to feature others — famously Victor Oladipo. But Fournier kept outplaying them all. He kept making positive contributions. Maybe that is some of the antipathy toward Fournier. He was the one who kept playing better than the chosen ones.

And then when the team finally made the playoffs, Fournier struggled beyond recognition — 8-for-34 shooting from beyond in the five-game series.

The Magic are getting a different Fournier this year — yes, perhaps in a contract year. Fournier is averaging a career-best 19.2 points per game on an even 40.0 percent shooting.

That has Fournier playing his best basketball as the decade comes to a close. And in many ways, he was the most consistent perimeter player for the Magic this decade.