With a historic performance for Team Italy in the EuroBasket 2025 Tournament, it does seem as if Simone Fontecchio has gone a long way in cementing his fate with the Miami Heat. If there were any questions about whether Fontecchio could be a positive contributor for the Heat, those concerns are quickly being quieted.
Fontecchio set a new single-game scoring record for Italy against Bosnia and Herzegovina, scoring 39 points. He also finished with eight rebounds and three assists in the record-setting game.
The Heat acquired Fontecchio a couple of months ago in the sign-and-trade deal centered around Duncan Robinson. Even though that move is still a tad bit head-scratching, we're beginning to see the potential that perhaps the Heat saw in taking a flier on Fontecchio.
It's hard to imagine how one performance against Bosnia and Herzegovina is going to completely change the perception of the Heat's move, but it certainly gives some credence to their vision when acquiring Fontecchio.
The Heat will likely keep him on the roster
More importantly, what a performance like this does for Fontecchio is that it gives the Heat more incentive to keep him on the roster, rather than to try to trade or waive him. There had been some talk that the Heat were exploring the possibility of doing so a few weeks ago, as NBA insider Marc Stein notes, but at least for now, it would make more sense for Miami to just keep him on the roster at this point.
With his strong performance overseas, there's more of an incentive for the Heat to carry him on the roster into the start of training camp.
If there's even a small chance that Fontecchio could emerge as a useful player for the Heat this season, they'll certainly roll the dice with him. Heading into what many believe will be a "difficult" year for the Heat, they need all the possible help they can get.
After the loss of Robinson this summer, one of the Heat's projected biggest weaknesses this season is going to revolve around 3-point shooting. Even though Fontecchio is far from a certified proven threat on the perimeter, he does give the Heat another option heading into the start of training camp.
The Heat were probably already leaning toward keeping Fontecchio on the roster heading into the start of the season, but there's no question that his historic performance over the weekend further cemented his status with the team.