The Miami Heat watched the NBA's Opening Night from Orlando as they prepare for their own opener on Wednesday night. After seeing what Alperen Sengun accomplished, hope for one of their own to do the same has blossomed anew. Can Simone Fontecchio have his breakout moment?
The Heat are ready for someone to step up into a larger role this season. Bam Adebayo had a strong defensive season a year ago but was somewhat lackluster on offense. Tyler Herro is out for an extended stretch to start the season. Norman Powell has verve but is also 32 years old. Everyone understands who Andrew Wiggins is at this point.
What Miami needs is a breakout from a young player. There are a few different candidates, from the newly-extended Nikola Jovic to sophomore Kel'el Ware to rookie Kasparas Jakucionis. One player floating under the radar, however, has a tantalizing case to be the Heat player ready for his breakout moment.
Simone Fontecchio is ready for his breakout
Simone Fontecchio is no spring chicken himself, turning 30 years old during this upcoming season, but he has only been in the NBA for the past three years. He has excellent size at 6'8", is a solid team defender and is confident shooting the basketball. While he was buried in the rotation by new head coach J.B. Bickerstaff in Detroit last season, he has shown when given the opportunity that he has real starter potential.
That potential was actualized this summer when Fontecchio took his game to the next level at FIBA Eurobasket 2025. One of the top worldwide competitions, Eurobasket matters to players from European countries, with many NBA players making the trek back home to represent their countries and secure national pride and glory. Nikola Jokic, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Luka Doncic all played this year.
Fontecchio suited up for Italy and had a surprisingly dominant performance. He averaged 16.7 points per game, 16th among all players, and did so shooting 38.5 percent from deep on 6.5 attempts per game. He was active defensively while also carrying his team on offense; Fontecchio was the only active NBA player on Italy's roster. After advancing out of the group stage, Italy nearly knocked off Doncic and Slovenia, with Fontecchio dropping 22 points and adding three steals; no other Italian had more than 12.
Eurobasket is a completely different competition, however. Is Fontecchio's game merely better suited for Europe? Or could some of his gains internationally translate to a breakout season for Miami?
It's impossible to forecast with confidence, but one blazing headline should give hope to Heat fans: Alperen Sengun just did exactly what Fontecchio hoped to do, and brought his Eurobasket dominance directly into the NBA.
Alperen Sengun paved the way for Fontecchio's breakout
The Houston Rockets played the Oklahoma City Thunder on the NBA's Opening Night. The Rockets added Kevin Durant this summer, and all of the chatter the past few weeks leading into the season was about young Amen Thompson making the leap into stardom. And yet neither was anywhere close to Houston's best player in a double-overtime thriller the Rockets lost by a hair to the defending champions.
Sengun was the unquestioned best player for Houston, just as he was in Eurobasket this summer for Turkey. A team not known for its international dominance went all the way to the championship game and lost a close game to Germany. Sengun was the breakout star of the tournament, averaging 21.6 points, 10.1 rebounds and 6.6 assists per game in nine appearances.
He carried that breakout right into the season opener. Against last year's No. 1 defense, Sengun dropped 39 points, 11 rebounds and five assists. He shot 10-for-11 from the free-throw line and a bold 5-for-8 from 3-point range. In a game they lost by one, he was +9; the Rockets were outscored by 10 points in the nine minutes he sat.
For Sengun, the breakout this summer in Europe was real. Can the same be true for Fontecchio? No one is expecting him to drop 39 points on Orlando, of course, nor turn into a triple-double machine. Yet he could take real strides to becoming a must-start player for Erik Spoelstra and the Heat.
Can he carry his Eurobasket breakout into the NBA? Sengun did. And now Simone Fontecchio hopes to do the same.