Olympiacos got the win over Real Madrid but it was another mixed night for Evan Fournier. Emmet Ryan writes that the issue can be solved. I’s about adjusting his basketball to be lethal in Euroleague.
Basketball, like any mass participation sport in the digital age, faces the risk of homogenisation. Evan Fournier’s issues adapting to playing in Euroleague with Olympiacos should quell those fears. The Reds should also not be too worried. The issue can be fixed.
This isn’t the NBA
Evan Fournier was the big arrival for Olympiacos this summer. I mean that with no disrespect to Sasha Vezenkov. The former Euroleague MVP’s move wasn’t exactly a surprise. Fournier making the jump was the type to shock basketball across the continent.
Unfortunately, moving to any new home requires some adaptation. If you stuck me in Berlin tomorrow there’d be issues. I love the city and some of the shops are familiar. Others aren’t. Lots of people speak English but my German is pub and restaurant level. That’s essentially what is happening with Fournier to start his stint in Piraeus.
Basketball is a common tongue but it’s got different dialects. The language barrier from the NBA style to European format is taking some adjustment from Fournier. He’s got efficiency issues. The Frenchman is fired up but he’s firing the ball a little too hastily. That’s led to some less than stellar averages and a few too many wasted possessions. The pace of play, the number of possessions, is different here. Fournier is still getting used to that.
Nor is it EuroBasket
The style on this side of the Atlantic isn’t exactly new to Evan Fournier. The man is literally French. He is European. The conditioning of playing the last 12 years of his career in the NBA however has led to him developing a different natural instinct.
His go-to away from that is, of course, the FIBA Fournier persona. It is real, no matter how mixed the form was in recent tournaments. It also doesn’t matter. International tournaments are, by their nature, condensed and focused forms of competition. That mindset may stand to Fournier should Olympiacos make the Final Four but not right now.
This is the meat of the Euroleague season, and the Greek League too. It’s where he has to get used to a different type of grind. Frankly, he has to get used to a different type of basketball normality. That he’s standing out in his issues compared other players to make the jump this summer shouldn’t really be a surprise. He’s got more changes to make than any of the others.
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Enjoyment must be measured
You should only ever measure fun if you think you’ve hit a new peak of ecstasy. That being said, Evan Fournier needs to adapt his appetite in how he feeds off the crowd. The Frenchman clearly loves being with Olympiacos. The way the fans embraced him upon his arrival only added to that.
As an energy player, Fournier is understandably riding that high when he plays. All of this is good. Confidence is good, belief in one’s self is great. Even cockiness is a positive asset in basketball if correctly channelled. The point where it becomes a problem is when it becomes too intoxicating.
There was one series which symbolised it best in the win by Olympiacos over Real Madrid. The crowd, eager for some Euroleague payback, were willing the team on. Fournier missed a three that he should never have put up but got the second chance opportunity. Without anything remotely looking like being well set, he fired again. Naturally, he missed again. That’s a symptom of habit. It’s one that can be broken.
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Re-introduction techniques
Evan Fournier’s numbers aren’t alarming, they’re just not where they need to be. He’s meant to be the guy that gets Olympiacos over the top. That means two things: being better than Panathinaikos and winning Euroleague.
If the Reds are serious about him delivering in that respect then they need to adjust the plan slightly. Fournier’s most efficient shooting night this season by far came in the game where he played the least. In under 17 minutes against Anadolu Efes, he shot 7 of 11 from the floor including 4 of 6 from deep.
That more restricted role made Fournier play a more judicious form of basketball. He figured out what he needed to do on the fly in the moment. Build that up from there. Jumping to 28 minutes against Real Madrid two rounds later, particularly in a double week, felt excessive. If Olympiacos want a star to deliver when the games really matter, they need to put him on track to do so.
Of course Olympiacos needed this
Granted there were more issues at play than the adjustment of Evan Fournier to Euroleague on Tuesday night. After a loss to Panathinaikos on Sunday, the Reds needed a morale boost. Beating Real Madrid, a rival who has bested them a little too often lately, helped with that.
Fournier found a way to contribute and Olympiacos got a win that they needed more than the visitors. Basketball is an emotional beast. We wouldn’t love it if it wasn’t. Once the panic is calmed, then it’s time to work out the next rational step.
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