The blue – who missed the entire last month of the regular season in Detroit due to a problem with the big toe of his left foot – reflects on his immediate future, from commitments with the Italian national team to the new NBA contract to sign. But looking back he cannot help but be satisfied with his progress: “I am very proud of what I have done so far”. And he makes his predictions for the four NBA play-in matches
Since Utah traded him to Detroit, Simone Fontecchio’s NBA career seemed to have taken off. In the first 16 games in the Pistons jersey, the blue player averaged over 15 points, shooting 48% from the field and an excellent 42.6% from three points. But then, suddenly, a foot injury – apparently harmless – which instead stopped him for the entire last month of the regular season (last match played, March 17) and which now even risks jeopardizing his blue summer, which would begin with the pre-Olympic challenges – to earn a pass to Paris 2024 – on July 2nd. But let’s go in order.
Take us back to the injury game, against Miami.
“It was a fairly random injury, in the last offensive action of the game against Miami. I fell and stubbed my toe in an unusual and very violent manner. At first we thought it was just a knock, so we were all convinced that I would be back on the pitch shortly. Instead it was much longer than expected, I still fight with it today because perhaps there is an involvement of a couple of ligaments near the bones of the toe, the sesamoids. It shouldn’t be anything serious, just an injury that I’ll have to continue working on to get back to health: but it certainly took longer than we thought. Unfortunately that’s how it went.”
Tell us about your second NBA season, which started in Utah and ended in Detroit.
“I would define it as a very positive season. I am happy and very proud of what I have done. At the start of training camp in Utah I was part of the third quintet, that is, I was out of the rotation. Then, thanks to some injuries and my hard work in the gym, day after day, by dint of pushing hard, I got myself a starting role, and when I was traded to Detroit I had become a starting five player. I am very, very proud and happy about this: the best thing I have shown – beyond the statistics and numbers collected on the pitch – is that I am a reliable player, whatever the conditions I find myself in.”
“The trade? I haven’t seen my daughter for two months”
How was the transition from the Utah Jazz to the Detroit Pistons?
“The transition was easy. At the Jazz I played more on the perimeter, waiting for the passes, and then choosing whether to shoot or attack the opposing defense’s closeouts. In Detroit, however, I found a player like Cade Cunningham who creates a lot by playing a lot of pick and rolls, and I think playing alongside him helped me show my style of play and what I’m capable of even more. At the Pistons, due to the type of role I have and the number of balls that come to me, I found myself even better.”
What was your reaction to the trade?
“I knew there was a lot of interest from other teams, I knew something could happen, but when the trade went through it was tough. Not so much for me but for my family, for my wife and my daughter. In short: I haven’t seen my daughter for two months, but I know I’m an NBA player and I’m aware that that’s how it works, the world moves on. I’m happy with these two months in Detroit, I’m happy with where I am today and what I’ve done in these two months.”
What are the main differences between coach Will Hardy and Monty Williams
“I have to say that I got on very well with both of them. With Will [Hardy] we have established an excellent relationship, we still talk often, there is a lot of trust between us. At the Jazz I was asked above all to defend – often against the most dangerous attacker of the opponents – while in attack my job was to simply do the right thing, go for strong rebounds and shoot on drains. With Monty [Williams] in Detroit the understanding was immediate: the big difference between him and Will is his super experience, given that he has been doing this job for many years. He has an obsessive attention to detail, from meetings to training sessions to matches: I appreciate it very much. The role he gives me here is one of greater responsibility than the one I had in Utah with Hardy”
When you were struggling to find space for the Jazz, did you ever think you wouldn’t make it in the NBA?
“I’m telling the truth: in those moments it’s difficult to think positively. You try, you tell it, but it’s not easy at all. This year, ever since the training camp in Utah – I often joked about it with my wife – I promised myself I would be a Zen person: ‘Nothing should touch me,’ I said. The year then put me to the test, with the exchange and everything else [ride]. But at the beginning my attitude was this: everything that was happening to me – what they told me or what they didn’t tell me, which is the worst thing – didn’t move me one iota, and in the end this attitude paid off. As usual, I have always worked very hard, especially when I wasn’t playing: work always pays off in the end, it’s often said but it’s true.”
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The best performances of any Italian in the NBA
“The foot problem solved, I’ll think about the national team”
The injury to be resolved, the contract to be renewed and on July 2nd the Italian national team begins the pre-Olympic games: what can you tell us about the Italian summer?
“I’m very focused on my foot right now, honestly. I want to resolve this injury first, and I hope to do so as soon as possible. Now I’m going back to Italy to work with my physiotherapist and my trainer. Once this is resolved, I will think about the national team, but at the moment I don’t feel like saying anything, because I thought this stoppage would last a short time and instead it wasn’t like that.”
Just unlike other Italian players, you have succeeded where others have failed – to adapt to the NBA world after a difficult start. How do you explain it?
“The fundamental thing here is to have an opportunity, to be lucky enough to get it and then consequently know how to exploit it. There is clearly a lot of work and preparation behind it. My years in Europe certainly helped me, I think above all of the experience in Milan, when I played little but worked a lot behind closed doors. Having found myself here in America in certain situations that I had already experienced may have helped me, but the most important thing remains the luck of obtaining an opportunity.”
How is your life in the United States and how different is it compared to what you used to lead in Italy and Europe?
“Everyday life is very similar to when I was already playing in Spain or Germany, for example. I have my family here: I take my daughter to school, I train, I play. What is perhaps different is the distance from home, and then obviously the culture, the habits. In everyday life I talk much less with my family at home – due to the time difference, it’s difficult – but on a routine level not much has changed.”
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Fontecchio’s future: “He will 99.9% remain in Detroit”
NBA play-in begins: Fontecchio’s predictions
The NBA play-ins are upon us. We ask you for your predictions, starting with New Orleans-Lakers.
“Some very strange dynamics have been created, because perhaps – if I were the Lakers – I would almost prefer to finish eighth, rather than seventh [per evitare Denver al primo turno, ndr]. I don’t know if they will make this kind of reasoning in Los Angeles, I think and hope not, but I would say that the Lakers beat New Orleans.”
Sacramento-Golden State.
“Golden State”.
Philadelphia-Miami
“Miami”.
Chicago-Atlanta
“I say Chicago, but it’s not easy”
After two years in the NBA, if you look back, what are the moments you remember most fondly?
“There are already many, fortunately. Definitely the winning basket vs. Golden State at home I will carry with me forever. But even just simply wearing an NBA jersey every night makes you proud every time. I could also tell you playing as a quintet at Madison Square Garden, all moments that give me shivers and goosebumps when I think about them. And I hope there will be many more in the future.”