Jazz HC Sends Message to Simone Fontecchio After Tough Spurs Loss
Before signing with the Utah Jazz last summer, the Italian-born Simone Fontecchio was a 40% field-goal shooter in Europe. In the NBA, he's shot 33.1% from the field.
In Tuesday night's 102-94 home loss to the San Antonio Spurs, Fontecchio went 0-for-7 shooting, five of which were from downtown. In nearly 20 minutes of game time, he did not contribute to Utah's scoreboard.
It would be easy, especially in the wake of such an up and down season, for Fontecchio to go into a shell after Tuesday night's 'ohfer' performance. His confidence is likely at a low.
However, the encouraging words of a head coach could be just the thing to galvanize a player like Fontecchio, who could be on the brink of losing his swagger. That's exactly what Will Hardy did following Tuesday night's loss.
Coach Hardy offered Fontecchio a word of advice when it comes to his mindset as a shooter.
“I think it’s just keep taking good ones," Hardy said post-game. "I watch him shoot every day. I see him put the work in. I’ve seen him make a lot. I believe in his shooting."
Hardy believes there are reasons why Fontecchio's field-goal percentage has declined his Year 1 at the NBA level. He pointed to a few different factors that have led to Fontecchio's slump.
"I think there’s been some variance this year based on being in and out of the rotation and not having a ton of opportunity and some tough breaks here and there with some injuries," Hardy said of Fontecchio. "Kind of as he’s getting a rhythm, he hurts his ankle and he’s out for a bit."
However, at the end of the day, Hardy made sure that Fontecchio understands that his head coach not only has his back, but also his teammates.
"There’s way more evidence that would suggest that Simone is a good shooter than would suggest that he’s a bad shooter over the course of his basketball life," Hardy said. "He knows he has my full belief and his teammates’ full belief to keep firing.”
As the great Wayne Gretsky once opined, you miss 100% of the shots you don't take. If Fontecchio hopes to have staying power with the Jazz, and in the NBA, he'll have to shake this tough night off, and, as Coach Hardy said, "keep firing."
For what it's worth, Fontecchio wasn't the only Jazz shooter with cold hands on the evening. As a team, Utah shot a putrid 35.3% from the field, while San Antonio sunk 42.9% of its attempts.
On the season, Fontecchio is averaging just 10.2 minutes per game, which has translated to 3.7 points per contest. It hasn't been all bad, as Fontecchio has contributed to his fair share of wins this season, including that December 8th overtime thriller where his end-of-game dunk brought Utah home the victory.
With the injuries piling up, the Jazz will likely continue to rely on their bench, which means Hardy can't afford for Fontecchio to curl up and die. In professional sports, Fontecchio is learning the hard way that it pays to have a short-term memory.
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