Orlando Magic: Grading Evan Fournier’s 2019-20 NBA season

Evan Fournier’s final grade

Like so many of Fournier’s teammates, this year was frustrating in many ways. It is clear what he brings to the team and how important he can be for them, we just don’t see it as often as we’d like. Nevertheless, career highs in scoring and right around the best output in 3-point shooting for his career to date are positives.

At only 27, Fournier is younger than you’d think and has the potential to take another step forward before likely peaking as a player. We saw glimpses of this during the season, not many, but there were periods of time where he was playing at a high level and the Magic were winning.

That small run in December helped keep the Magic in the playoff hunt, and it felt like Fournier really found his groove then. As has often been the case, not only with him but with guys like Gordon too, that quickly faded and more inconsistent play took hold. It wasn’t uncommon for Fournier to drift through games, and that is a worry.

Entering the final year of his contract next season, he may go on to have a career year to ensure he gets paid. But the Magic front office should beware, as he is already one of their key players, yet doesn’t bring the level of play or consistency enough to warrant that position. He is as good as they have as a creator though, so they will have to go with him for one more year at least.

Defensively it is better than you might think, but it is hard to escape the feeling that there is a kind of “empty stats” feel to what he brings. Vucevic used to get serious stick for this, but his playoff display this season and All-Star play of the year before have quieted that chatter. This means somebody else has to bear the brunt of fan’s frustration, and that has become Fournier.

At his best, he is an ideal pick and roll partner with Vucevic, and the two have a great understanding. On his worst days, however, Fournier takes too much out of the ball and tries to do everything. Usually to mixed results. Individually it wasn’t as bad a year as it may have looked on the surface, but nor was it the type of display to get you excited for next season either.

Grade: B-