Q: Ira, Simone Fontecchio scored 18 against Greece on Friday. I know Giannis Antetokounmpo didn’t play, but you’ve been mentioning the nights when other Heat players are having big games in Europe. It looks like he still can play. – Howard.
A: And no one is saying Simone Fontecchio can’t, including his 13-point first half Friday in that Italy exhibition loss to Greece ahead of Wednesday’s start of EuroBasket. The difference with the focus with Nikola Jovic (Serbia) and Pelle Larsson (Sweden) is that both are young enough to be considered part of the Heat’s future. Turning 30 in December, the same can’t be said with Simone. That’s not to say that he can’t be useful in 2025-26, but it also is likely he merely will be a rental. For the moment, keep on eye on next Friday, with that the deadline for the Heat to potentially utilize the waive-and-stretch provision with Simone. But also keep an eye on Simone having more games like Friday. There yet could be a place for his shooting in Erik Spoelstra’s rotation.
Q: I am confused and disappointed with Erik Spoelstra’s adamant desire to take a natural playmaking small forward in Nikola Jovic and force him into a power position. There were so many players that did not play power positions in spite of their size. Larry Bird was a three, Kevin Durant a three, Magic Johnson a point guard and on and on. Jovic is not a Hall Of Famer, but in my opinion among the best playmakers on our roster. Forcing him into a power role due to his height is a mistake. If he is forced into a power position , this will be his last season in Miami. He will blossom elsewhere. The coach should put the players in their best position to succeed. For Jovic, that is at the three, playing 25 to 30 minutes a night. Not starting but finishing. Thoughts? – Brian, Boca Raton.
A: The reality is positions only truly matter on the defensive end. And exactly what small forwards do you want to see Nikola Jovic defending? Now, a workaround would be, particularly if he starts at power forward, to have Bam Adebayo defend the opposing small forward, but that would mean starting all three of your big men, and opening without either Andrew Wiggins or Norman Powell. Of course, there then would be the risk of foul trouble for Bam. So, yes, you certainly could make a case for more minutes at small forward for Nikola, but the likelihood is that the bulk of his defensive assignments will be in the power rotation.
Q: I’m a season-ticket holder from day one and I agree 100% with you about the meaningless in-season tournament. I’ll be in Florida that week and have no idea what if any game I’ll be able to attend. – Steven, Grantham, N.H.
A: It is more than a bit of a fan inconvenience to have Dec. 7-17 on the NBA schedule a giant blank slate. Yes, the NBA Cup might spice things up a bit, but it hardly is optimal for those with season tickets or even those who split season tickets and draft their games. It’s almost as if those games should be sold separately from season tickets, rather than requiring fans to also pay for one unknown game against one unknown opponent on one unknown night. It’s one thing to change the time of a game by an hour or so for national television. It’s another to list four dates as possible home or road games, as well as four dates as possible NBA Cup dates.