Regular Season Game 62: Orlando Magic (27-34) at Miami Heat (39-22) - 7:30pm ET

[drsd]

Man I am glad I missed watching this three-point shooting contest. This is not basketball; it is playing HORSE.

..

[swarlesbarkley]

Would love to see how many boards Fournier is even in position to get considering he’s usually guarding ball handler.

Fair enough. Though, Luka guards the ball handler plenty of possessions too. I know it's not a fair comparison to look at Evan vs. Luka because Luka is a significantly better player but 17 boards vs 0 boards is ridiculous.

Nitpicking a single isolated is childish and just an excuse to promote a biased opinion.

Also, comparing Evan to Luka is ridiculous. It like some child screaming,"Why are you not playing like Luka!!!!!"

Did I not say it wasn't a fair comparison?

I do think it's a fair criticism that Evan ranks like 120th in guards for rebounds at 2.6 a game.

[Popsicle1228]

He does everything well except shoot the long ball well. And it's so hard to play in the league without that shot. Just adding a simple spot up 3 point shot to his game will make him infinitely more impactful a player. I agree, the mid-range game looks pretty good. He's way more confident with that shot. His long distance form is so much more labored. He says he's not in any pain, and I have to believe that since he literally does everything else fine. I really like everything else he does from defense to playmaking and finishing. I just want to see what one healthy offseason of working on his shot would do for him. By all accounts, he never really got back to full contact play until September. He has shown enough to deserve a full offseason of work to see what he could do.

He's also one of the few upside players we have. As bleak as it may feel, there are very few other paths to a "star" player.

I think it's a confidence/feel thing.... there seems to be so much thought going through his head during his shot. just look at his load up for a three in comparison to a midrange jumper. the load up is quick in the mid range... provides less chances for error. I think a summer of training will get him back on track.

I think it's the opposite - I think it's a physical thing either still lingering from TOS or still not fully healed. Why would he look more confident taking contested mid-range fadeaways (ie way tougher shots) than a wide open 3? If you're suggesting the release is slow because he's not confident there'll be no pain yet - I can understand that. And honestly, that's the best case scenario because then his old shot is likely to return. But I don't believe he's out there thinking "will i make this 3? let me take my time to make sure i get the best shot off" when he's shooting 3s.

I wonder if he's hitting the "rookie wall" right now and that's more of a factor with his shot than TOS or confidence. This is by far the most games he's played as a pro.

His shot looked the best IMO in January around this game:

Watch on YouTube

Those 3s (at :35 and 2:30) were smooth albeit still slow. But that was the best it has looked all season.

My biggest fear is that he has nerve damage from the nerve being compressed for too long. If that is the case, it is possible that he will never gain the necessary strength to shoot in his natural form. I really hope this is not the case.

[CraZyPraiZ]

I think it's a confidence/feel thing.... there seems to be so much thought going through his head during his shot. just look at his load up for a three in comparison to a midrange jumper. the load up is quick in the mid range... provides less chances for error. I think a summer of training will get him back on track.

I think it's the opposite - I think it's a physical thing either still lingering from TOS or still not fully healed. Why would he look more confident taking contested mid-range fadeaways (ie way tougher shots) than a wide open 3? If you're suggesting the release is slow because he's not confident there'll be no pain yet - I can understand that. And honestly, that's the best case scenario because then his old shot is likely to return. But I don't believe he's out there thinking "will i make this 3? let me take my time to make sure i get the best shot off" when he's shooting 3s.

I wonder if he's hitting the "rookie wall" right now and that's more of a factor with his shot than TOS or confidence. This is by far the most games he's played as a pro.

His shot looked the best IMO in January around this game:

Watch on YouTube

Those 3s (at :35 and 2:30) were smooth albeit still slow. But that was the best it has looked all season.

My biggest fear is that he has nerve damage from the nerve being compressed for too long. If that is the case, it is possible that he will never gain the necessary strength to shoot in his natural form. I really hope this is not the case.

Love Fultz but man he is lucky to be playing. imagine if the stories of him hurting the shoulder from him riding his BMX bike are true. Still hoping that he recovers but I don't believe the story that he developed nerve damage. The shoulder is healed as much as it can possibly be after a year and a half. The good side is that he may be good enough to be a Demar Derozan type player and a much better passer.