What happened to Fournier?

[Blue_and_Whte]

Do you guys think he could opt out after this season? Especially with how efficient he has been shooting the ball and the weak FA class in 2020. If yes, would you want to keep him around and how much would you guys be willing to offer him?

i think he will be like other players Orlando has had. criticized relentlessly while here, and then when he leaves, everyone will want a player exactly like him. This fan base turns on players that dont turn into superstars.

Exactly right, and blamed for a roster they didnt put together.

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[ezzzp]

What happened to the straight forward anti-Fournier threads? is fake deniability the new strategy? LMAO

[J-Mezzy]

His 3 point shot is just nice this year. I wonder if it's condidence or the world tournament or what, but dude is a different player this season

[PrimeThyme]

Take your victory lap Fournier lovers. The same way the Vuc lovers did last year. Let's just ignore his previous 7 seasons and act like he has been a 4.1 obpm, .62 TS%, 44 3pt%, and a 19.7 PER player for his whole career. For reference, he had a -.4 obpm last year (.9 for his career), .56 TS% for his career (.53 last year), 37 3pt % (34% last year), and has a 13.7 PER for his career.

But yeah, just ignore all of those facts and take your victory laps over this 25 game sample size. As a fan of the team, I am happy to see it. His court vision has improved as well as all the other areas of his game.

Let's see if it can continue. If he ops out, I wouldn't even consider paying him at the price we resigned Vuc last offseason.

[ezzzp]

Take your victory lap Fournier lovers. The same way the Vuc lovers did last year. Let's just ignore his previous 7 seasons and act like he has been a 4.1 obpm, .62 TS%, 44 3pt%, and a 19.7 PER player for his whole career. For reference, he had a -.4 obpm last year (.9 for his career), .56 TS% for his career (.53 last year), 37 3pt % (34% last year), and has a 13.7 PER for his career.

But yeah, just ignore all of those facts and take your victory laps over this 25 game sample size. As a fan of the team, I am happy to see it. His court vision has improved as well as all the other areas of his game.

Let's see if it can continue. If he ops out, I wouldn't even consider paying him at the price we resigned Vuc last offseason.

You mean a player who just 47 days ago entered the first year of his peak prime production zone is now producing better? Imagine that.

Oh and Fournier since he worked his way up into the starting lineup...

15-16: 15.7 PPG on .587 TS% / .400 3P% on 4.9 3PA / 12.5 AST%
16-17: 17.2 PPG on .555 TS% / .356 3P% on 5.3 3PA / 14.4 AST%
17-18: 17.8 PPG on .577 TS% / .379 3P% on 5.9 3PA / 13.8 AST%
18-19: 15.1 PPG on .536 TS% / .340 3P% on 5.6 3PA / 17.0 AST%
19-20: 20.0 PPG on .619 TS% / .447 3P% on 6.5 3PA / 17.6 AST%

...4 out of 5 years scoring improvement
...4 out of 5 years at or above average shooting efficiency
...4 out of 5 years at or above average 3PT shooting
...AND substantial improvement as a creator

Anti-Fournier people are mostly just bitter that so far he's developed better than "Point" Gordon, EP and Pooper Mario...players they championed as sure bet future all-stars in same breath they stated Fournier was at very best a bench player.

[BadMofoPimp]

Evan Provin Em All Wrong!!!

[J-Mezzy]

People really championed Elfrid freaking Peyton?

[Def Swami]

There's really nothing to hate about Fournier's game right now. Clearly his best season of his career. The real interesting point of contention is how much you're willing to pay to keep Fournier this off-season or if the Magic should keep him at all. I don't really have a great sense for that at the moment. But, Fournier has definitely been a valuable member of this season's team thus far. We had the same conversation about Vucevic all of last season, and it's going to happen again with Fournier this year. I don't know that Fournier is as valuable as Vucevic in a vacuum, but his skillset is definitely coveted on this team that lacks shooting and scoring to begin with. Tough decision looms, but you have to be happy to see him play well this season in any event.

[fklt]

you don't actually know the trend until more data stacks up. last year's performance drew a picture like he plateaued as a player. this year as of now, makes it look like last year was the exception to the norm of stable growth for him.

btw we put in his hands before as a team, and he didn't do particularly well with it. but I believe this stretch when vuc went down was the first time we treated him as an actual first option, and he delivered. maybe timing, coming of a similiar performance with a similar role with his national team helped as well but overall i feel like he sure proved now that he had an another gear in him with his 2 month performance.

[ezzzp]

There's really nothing to hate about Fournier's game right now. Clearly his best season of his career. The real interesting point of contention is how much you're willing to pay to keep Fournier this off-season or if the Magic should keep him at all. I don't really have a great sense for that at the moment. But, Fournier has definitely been a valuable member of this season's team thus far. We had the same conversation about Vucevic all of last season, and it's going to happen again with Fournier this year. I don't know that Fournier is as valuable as Vucevic in a vacuum, but his skillset is definitely coveted on this team that lacks shooting and scoring to begin with. Tough decision looms, but you have to be happy to see him play well this season in any event.

The Magic will not have cap space with or without him. That's even if they renounce him and all their free agents (DJ/MCW/Iwundu) and team options (Frazier).

There will be no realistic ways of replacing his production (shooting and secondary ball handler).

In-prime players who are efficient +15ppg guys while also being the secondary playmaker cost waaaaay more than the Mid Level Exception. The Magic would have to get lucky and find a diamond in the rough in a very ugly free agent class, or strike gold in what looks like a pick somewhere in the middle of the draft.

---

I'm also not convinced that Fournier will opt out. According to Keith Smith's projected cap space, there are only a handful of teams that can offer Fournier more than what he's getting paid next year.

Unless trades change the market, its really in his best interest to opt in or negotiate an extension. Its also in best interest of the Magic to extend him as they don't have any realistic way to replace his skill set and production.

• Half of those teams are rebuilding. The likelihood that Fournier would sign on to a rebuild is low. That team would have to overpay him to make him look. The likelihood that a rebuilding team would be interested in doing that is also low. Because those teams are rebuilding, its much more likely they will be looking at the draft to fill a wing need - if it exists.

ATLANTA ($78.0m)

Wings: Kevin Heurter (rookie scale), Cam Reddish (rookie scale), Deandre Hunter (rookie scale), D Bembry (RFA/QO)

MEMPHIS ($52.7m)

Wings: Grayson Allen (rookie scale), Dillon Brooks (rookie scale), Marco Guduric (rookie scale), Kyle Anderson (3y/$9m per)

CLEVELAND ($35.0m)

Wings: Colin Sexton (rookie scale), Cedi Osman (4y/$8m per), Kevin Porter (rookie scale), Alphonse McKinney (rookie scale team option), Jordan Clarkson (UFA)

• Two other teams are somewhere in-between a rebuild and wanting to compete for playoffs.

NEW YORK ($47.2m)

Wings: RJ Barret (rookie scale), Kevin Knox (rookie scale), Alonzo Trier (RFA/QO), Damian Dotson (RFA/QO), Marcus Morris (UFA)

CHARLOTTE ($24m)

Wings: Nic Batum ($27m player option), Dwayne Bacon (RFA/QO), Malik Monk (rookie scale), Miles Bridges (rookie scale), PJ Washington (rookie scale), Cody Martin (rookie scale), Caleb Martin (rookie scale team option), Michael Kidd-Gilcrest (UFA)

• The remaining two teams with cap space would only be able to pay Fournier similar to what he would get if he picked up his option. The Magic can pay him more if they extend him.

PHOENIX ($16.4m)

Wings: Devin Booker (4y/max contract), Kelly Oubre (1y/$14.3m), Mikal Bridges (rookie scale), Cameron Johnson (rookie scale)

PORTLAND ($17.5m)

Wings: CJ McCollum (4y/max contract), Anfernee Simmons (rookie scale), Rodney Hood ($6m player option - IL), Kent Bazemore (UFA), Nassir Little (rookie scale)

[Last Guardian]

Looking at the season as a whole, he's the one who we really can't lose to injury. Then we might lose to the bad teams.