How Italian Free-Agent Pickup Simone Fontecchio Fits with Jazz
On Sunday, ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported that Italian forward Simone Fontecchio is signing a two-year deal with the Utah Jazz.
“The Utah Jazz have agreed on a two-year deal with Italian forward Simone Fontecchio of Baskonia in the Spanish ACB, his agent Sam Goldfeder of Excel Basketball tells ESPN. Draft Express considers Fontecchio, 26, the best available international small forward prospect," Wojnarowski tweeted.
How he Fits
Fontecchio's offensive game is still a little rough around the edges, but he does have the 6-foot-8 size that the Jazz have been lacking at the shooting guard and small forward positions in recent years.
Most recently, Fontecchio averaged 11.9 ppg on 47.5% shooting for Baskonia of the EuroLeague.
Jazz executive Danny Ainge could be familiar with Fontecchio after the prospect out of Spain attended a Boston Celtics workout in 2015. Fontecchio declared as an early entry for the NBA draft that year, before withdrawing his candidacy.
He has had some success in the EuroLeague as an LBA All-Star (2014) and three-time Italian Cup winner (2016-18) as a member of Olympia Milano.
Bottom Line
We’ll see if he can develop into a solid rotational piece for the Jazz. The timing couldn’t be better as the Jazz continue to show signs that a rebuild could be imminent.
There should be plenty of opportunities for minutes as the Jazz will be searching for a new identity in 2022 and beyond.
Follow Patrick on Twitter @pbyrnesNBA.
