Ever since the Miami Heat dealt Duncan Robinson in a sign-and-trade to the Detroit Pistons, the return for the team in Simone Fontecchio had fans believing that the replacement for the franchise's leading three-point shooter has been found. While the Heat get ready for the 2025-26 season, Fontechhio wants to express to the fanbase that he is not here to replace Robinson, which is no doubt a nearly improbable feat.
In an exclusive interview with ClutchPoints, Fontecchio would explain why he doesn't want to “replace” Robinson, as he sees himself as a different player. While the similarities really range from their three-point shooting ability, with Fontecchio saying he watched Robinson when starting his NBA career, he wants to set himself apart.
“Just because, first of all, we're different human beings and different players, I respect his game a lot,” Fontecchio said after Friday's training camp session at Florida Atlantic University. “And I actually, you know, starting my NBA career, I watched a little bit of Duncan too, like when he was in Miami, you know, the way he comes off screens, the way he comes off handoffs. I try to, you know, take a little bit of that into my game. But, I'll say I'm a different player, because I know I like to do multiple stuff probably, a lot more than just shooting.”
“I'm not saying Duncan is just a shooter, you know, I mean, but you know, I take pride in putting a lot of effort on defense, and I hope I can be effective for this Miami Heat team on that part of the floor, too,” Fontecchio continued. “So, you know, that's something I really want to do. I'm trying to embrace the culture and trying to fight for my role, fight for my spot.”
Simone Fontecchio at his first training camp with the Heat
Looking at the traits that the Heat newcomer in Fontecchio takes pride in, the defensive side of the ball will be the aspect that head coach Erik Spoelstra and the rest of the staff will love. Fontecchio's production over the last few years has been up and down, as during the 2023-24 season, he shot 40.1 percent from beyond the arc.
It would regress last season to 33.5 percent, though the forward in the past has attributed that to a left big toe injury in 2024. He's hoping to get back to the production of shooting efficiently from deep and playing hard defense, a match made in heaven for Miami, as he has gone through his first training camp with the team.
“It's been good, it's been a great four days so far, it's been a lot of training, a lot of up and down, and a lot of effort,” Fontechhio said. “But it's been great so far, everybody has welcomed me with open arms, and it's been a great feeling. I'm starting to, you know, get the sense of what it means to be a Miami player, and I like it.”
Heat's Simone Fontecchio on his EuroBasket experience
As the Heat will play in Puerto Rico for the preseason opener against the Orlando Magic, Fontecchio looks to play some minutes to get more comfortable in the system. However, he hasn't really caught a break as Fontecchio participated in EuroBasket, representing his country of Italy, where he was a standout, even setting a country record with 39 points in one game.
A moment that stood out to Fontecchio is when Spoelstra and executive Adam Simon traveled to Italy to watch the 29-year-old and hang out with his family.
“Meant a lot for me,” Fontecchio said. “You know, for him to come over and see me, have dinner, spend the night, spend a day together. Especially because around that time, there were a lot of rumors going around, and obviously, I was over there with the national team. It's not something that I can really control. And especially for me, my family, it wasn't like an easy month, let's say that. But I really appreciate the fact that he came over; he and Adam Simon came to see me, and it was a very good interaction. I really appreciate it.”
Heat's Erik Spoelstra issues a challenge to Simone Fontecchio
With many players on the Heat looking to take a step forward this upcoming season, Fontecchio can solidify a role within the team's rotation. If there is one person who has seen his positive traits, it's Spoelstra, who expressed to ClutchPoints that Fontecchio has a challenge for this season.
“Carries himself like an accomplished veteran, but he's also humble. Where he wants to learn our system,” Spoelstra said Friday. “He wants to find where he can be effective. He's really been competing on the defensive side of the floor. That's the first thing I talked to him about is being able to use his size, and he has shown particularly in Eurobasket and one of his years in Utah, when they tasked him with defending a lot of the other teams' better wing players. He's shown an ability to be physical defensively.”
“He's been well coached in the league, so he has a way of doing it, where we think in our system that can grow and get better, but that's his challenge, to be able to defend with physicality and discipline, and then offensively, he just had the skill set with and without the ball that will fit this group nicely,” Spoelstra continued. “He knows what he’s doing, and he feels comfortable with and without the ball, which is important.”
Asked Erik Spoelstra about Simone Fontecchio, his biggest strengths, and the challenge he has for the forward. #HeatNation pic.twitter.com/W7KvPFVX1E
— Zachary Weinberger (@ZachWeinberger) October 3, 2025
At any rate, Miami opens the preseason on Saturday in Puerto Rico before the regular season opener on Oct. 22 against the Magic.
