Jazz F Simone Fontecchio Turning Heads on International Stage
Simone Fontecchio hasn't garnered much attention in a busy offseason for the Utah Jazz. That said, the second-year Jazzman has been turning some heads in the FIBA World Cup this summer.
On Sunday, Fontecchio scored 26 points while hauling five rebounds in a 93-87 win over Brazil. Excelling on the international stage is nothing new for the Italy-born Fontecchio, who has three Italian Super Cups under his belt and participated in the 2020 Olympics.
Despite the international success, Fontecchio’s transition to the NBA wasn’t a simple one. He elaborated on the most challenging adjustments at the end of the 2022-23 season.
“Definitely, I would say pace,” Fontecchio said in his year-end presser in April. “It’s a different pace, all the teams play super-fast, really like fast basketball, up and down the court, never stop, so that’s one thing, also, athleticism very, very high level of athleticism.”
Moving forward, can Fontecchio parlay what he learned in his first year in Salt Lake City into a more significant role this season? This remains to be seen, but there were glimpses of improvements after last year’s All-Star break.
In April, Fontecchio's minutes spiked to 23.5 per game, where he shot an impressive 38.7% from long distance, on his way to averaging 11.4 ppg. He wasn’t limited to just a three-point shooter, either.
Jazz fans witnessed a player shooting off the dribble in the midrange and finishing at the rim in transition. Against the Milwaukee Bucks, Fontecchio scored a career-high of 26 points, with 14 coming inside the three-point line. The first-year player proved he wasn’t a one-trick pony.
Even though Fontecchio's play on the court is trending in the right direction, it will still be tough to crack the rotation in 2023-24.
Fontecchio has a guaranteed contract of $3.044 million heading into 2023-24. He’s a lock to make the roster, but the Jazz have a tough decision ahead.
Utah could re-sign Fontecchio to another contract, but there would have to be some confidence that there’s room to grow. With what he did on the court post-All-Star break, an argument could be made that he’s not a finished product.
However, considering Utah has Lauri Markkanen starting at the three means Fontecchio’s future would be as a backup, and that’s if he’s re-signed.
The more likely scenario is to trade Fontecchio at some point during the season due to his expiring contract paired with Utah’s desire to upgrade the roster. Fontecchio, Talen Horton-Tucker, and Kelly Olynyk are candidates to be moved if Utah sees an opportunity to bring an All-Star talent to Salt Lake City via trade.
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