Simone Fontecchio erupted for 39 points in EuroBasket group play, breaking Italy's all-time EuroBasket scoring record and powering a 96-79 victory over Bosnia and Herzegovina. He shot 13-of-20 overall and 7-of-10 from deep, added eight rebounds, three assists and one steal in 37 minutes. The Miami Heat acquired Fontecchio this summer via the Duncan Robinson sign-and-trade. He had struggled in his first two group games, hitting just one of ten long-range attempts, but enters 2025-26 projected as one of the Heat's top shooters despite inconsistent NBA three-point percentages and a likely fringe rotation role.
The 6-foot-8 wing scored 39 points - breaking Italy's all-time EuroBasket scoring record, previously held by Andrei Bargnani (36 PTS; 2011) - in Italy's 96-79 win over Bosnia and Herzegovina on Sunday. Fontecchio's 39 points came on 13-of-20 shooting and 7-of-10 shooting from 3-point range. Additionally, Fontecchio also hauled down eight rebounds with three assists and one steal in 37 minutes.
Sunday's performance comes on the heels of two suboptimal shooting performances from the three-year NBA veteran. In his first two group stage games, he made just one of his 10 long-range attempts, averaging nine points and 4.5 rebounds on a ghastly 36.7 percent true shooting. Fontecchio is expected to enter the 2025-26 as one of the Heat's best shooters - alongside Norman Powell, Tyler Herro, Nikola Jovic and Andrew Wiggins, among others.
Fontecchio may be a fringe rotation player. Though he provides something they can use: Shooting. He struggled last season, shooting 33.5 percent from deep. Fontecchio shot 37.5 percent from beyond the arc in his first two NBA seasons (40.1 3P% on 5.1 3PA in '23-24) and shot a combined 41.5 percent from 3-point range in his final three seasons overseas.
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