Rank #9: Evan Fournier
'12-'13 Season Summary
It was an odd season for Evan Fournier. Picked out of France as the 20th overall pick in the 2012 NBA Draft, Fournier was seemingly unused for about 90% of the season. Most Denver fans were undoubtedly confused whether or not they should be angry or rejoicing over the selection. What is his position? Why do I not know him? What is he good at? How do you even pronounce his name? But the young French sensation put on his working cap and went straight to training camp ready to prove his worth as a solid NBA-talent deserving of his 1st Round selection.
Unfortunately, one man stood in the way of his playtime: George Karl. It's not like Fournier did anything particularly horrible in the beginning stages of his NBA career, but something about rookies and George Karl have never mixed. This landed the French rook' on the bench for the large majority of his first season.
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| Fournier lit it up to end the '12-'13 season. |
In the final nine games of the season, all of which Fournier saw action, he averaged 12.3 ppg, 2.7 apg, 0.52 FG% in 22.8 mpg. While the Nuggets were in a dead tie with the LA Clippers and the Memphis Grizzlies for the 3rd, 4th and 5th seeds for the Playoffs, Fournier was playing his best basketball. He not only produced, but he produced on a big stage.
'13-'14 Season Outlook
So what happened after Fournier's rise to the top? He slightly struggled at the start of the Playoffs, and the short leash that George Karl had the rookie on was pulled. He found himself at the end of the bench before the series against the Golden State Warriors was even over.
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| Fournier has offensive potential. |
But the acquisition of new coach Brian Shaw is essentially a Godsend for Evan Fournier. A coach that preaches development and competition regardless of pay, Shaw will definitely give Fournier more opportunities than George Karl ever gave him. This year will give a much better indication of what type of player he is set to be.
It's been an awkward transition to the NBA for Fournier. He is a tall guard (6'6) with decent handles, he can shoot, can aggressively drive to the basket and is solid from the free throw line. But it's still unclear if he can create his own shot, protect the ball against faster and more athletic NBA defenses or defend his position well enough to earn valuable minutes. Even his role on the team has been awkward to determine. This Denver Nuggets roster has no shortage of depth so finding out whether or not Fournier should start or come off the bench has been difficult.
In all honesty, he's Rank #9 because of his questionable role. The talent is there. But will Coach Shaw give Evan Fournier the opportunities to maximize his potential? And the bigger question that remains is whether or not he will take those opportunities to prove he is capable of being a player that deserves considerable minutes.
Prediction
Evan Fournier will be given multiple early-season opportunities to show his worth as an NBA player. His ability to shoot the 3 and drive the ball will allow him to average double digit points through the first month of the season. But his inability to do much of anything else other than score the basketball will force him to come off the bench. Fournier will be a very effective bench player, occasionally scoring 18+ points here and there. By the end of the season he will have proved that he has an offensive game worthy of starting in the pros. Also, he will immediately change his #94 jersey to a much more appealing number (I hope).
Rankings:
#9: Evan Fournier
#6: October 25th
#5: October 26th
#4: October 27th
#3: October 28th
#2: October 29th
#1: October 30th
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