Subscribe
Follow Us
With the sign-and-trade of the Miami Heat's most prolific sharpshooter in Duncan Robinson, going to the Detroit Pistons, the team in exchange got Simone Fontecchio. Besides the Heat trading for Norman Powell, Fontecchio was comparatively a lateral move, though there are aspects where he can contribute, as he speaks more about that on Tuesday.
Fontecchio spoke to the media on Tuesday through Zoom and spoke about being traded to Miami and what he can offer to his new team. Funny enough, Fontecchio is a well-known three-point shooter, which could be seen as ironic when looking at who is going to Detroit and even said that he compares himself to Robinson.
“I watched a lot of Duncan Robinson in the last three years because I think our skill set is pretty similar,” Fontecchio said. “Of course, he’s a tremendous shooter and he did an amazing job all the years in Miami and I was always kind of looking at him, the way he was getting off shots and I always kind of wanted to do the same thing. I think I can try to play like a little bit off handoffs, running off screens, do a little bit of that.”
The new Miami forward wouldn't find out immediately about the trade since he was in Italy, his home country. Meaning, he was in sleep when the news broke about the next step in his NBA journey.
“I’m in Italy right now, so I was asleep when everything happened,” Fontecchio said. “It was a little bit late over here. … But I’m happy. I’m happy with the way everything went down and I’m really excited.”
Looking at the new Heat acquisition's three-point shooting
While it remains to be seen where else the Heat will add to the team with all the rumors surrounding them, there's no doubt they're hoping Fontecchio can help. During the 2023-24 season, he shot 40.1 percent from deep, but it dipped last season to 33.5 percent with the 29-year-old attributing that to an injury to his left big toe in 2024.
“Especially last season, it’s been a little up and down for me,” Fontecchio said. “I was coming off an injury that was a pretty important surgery on my left foot that I had last summer. So it was a little bit of chasing my best shape all summer and then also during the regular season. So I think I was never my full self.
“But I think I felt pretty comfortable over the last two to three years in the NBA,” Fontecchio continued. “I worked a lot to feel that way and I’m working even harder right now during this summer. It’s the first summer after a couple years that I didn’t have any problems or injury or stuff like that, and I can really focus on myself, on my health, and my skill set. It’s something I was looking for, to work on it. But definitely before, I felt like I belonged in this league and I can do some damage. I’m looking forward to getting back to that form.”
At any rate, Fontecchio looks to help Miami improve after finishing 37-45 last season, which put them 10th in the Eastern Conference as the team was eliminated in the first round of the playoffs by the Cleveland Cavaliers.
