Orlando Magic: 2018-19 player grade for Evan Fournier
By Luke Duffy
The Orlando Magic saw themselves take a leap in 2018-19, with Evan Fournier regressing to the fringes of their promising core.
Before embarking on a season that saw them go 42-40, win the southeast division title and clinch a spot in the playoffs, the Orlando Magic knew what they had in Evan Fournier.
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Fournier is the kind of offensive player that didn’t otherwise exist on their roster and one that was capable of getting them a bucket in tight situations.
This is something that wasn’t true of anybody else except eventual All-Star Nikola Vucevic.
In 2017-18, Fournier started in all 57 games he played in and even with the trade deadline addition of Terrence Ross, who quickly established himself as a fan favorite and somebody worthy of starting, Fournier’s spot as a starter never looked seriously under threat.
Such was their need for his skills.
Fast forward to last season however, and thinks changed for the Frenchman. Sections of the fans were still not sold on what he could do for the Magic, but they appeared to increase in number, and volume. This despite Fournier starting in every single one of the 81 games he featured in.
Fournier for his part was doing what he always had with that game time, and on some nights that was enough.
The growth of Aaron Gordon and Jonathan Isaac however began to change the pecking order in Orlando and the 38.3 percent that Ross shot from deep, as well as the “Human Torch” nickname taking off, meant that Fournier was pushed away from the center of this roster’s future.
In truth that process had probably begun even before Gordon and Isaac looked like the true future of the franchise, and the breakout year for Vucevic (another player who fans were more divisive on up to that point) and cult status of Khem Birch was established.
But it wasn’t all bad for Fournier either and he still has a role with the Magic.