Erik Spoelstra Reveals Untold Miami Heat Italian Secret Story Amid Stunning Start to New Season

Fans who approved of the Duncan Robinson trade are slowly coming around as the Miami Heat’s Italian forward, Simone Fontecchio, is slowly coming to life under Erik Spoelstra. The Heat acquired Fontecchio in July through a trade that saw Robinson land with the Detroit Pistons.

After the trade was announced, fans all over social media were in an uproar. The Heat essentially moved one of the best 3-point shooters in the league for an unproven 29-year-old player.

But Fontecchio has proved the doubters wrong and is averaging 13.5 points and 3.0 rebounds through his first three games, while shooting 61.5%, including 50% from 3-point range. While his performance is surprising to fans, Erik Spoelstra has been aware of the Italian’s skill for a long time.

Spoelstra spent much time scouting Fontecchio while he was on Steve Kerr’s staff for Team USA. On Sunday, the Miami Heat coach spoke about what he concluded from the forward’s performances for Italy.

Explore the NBA Draft 2024 with our free NBA Mock Draft Simulator & be the GM of your favorite NBA team.

“Italy was my scout when I was an assistant with Team USA,” Spoelstra told the Sun Sentinel. “He was a stud over there for his national team, putting up big numbers and shouldering that weight you have when you’re the number-one option.” “He’s an explosive number-one option for Italy. When you shoulder those kinds of responsibilities and have everyone game-planning against you, yet still are able to have big games, that was really impressive.”

Spoelstra continued, saying that Fontecchio was one of his favorite players at the 2023 World Cup and the 2024 Paris Olympics. So, while the Duncan Robinson trade left many shocked, Spoelstra was calm, knowing exactly what the Miami Heat were getting in return.

Spoelstra isn’t the only one who appreciates Fontechhio, as the Italian has also expressed appreciation for the way the team has treated him since his arrival. Speaking to the Sun Sentinel, the forward expressed his appreciation for Spoelstra:

“I always felt from them the desire to keep in touch with me and to keep them updated, keep them posted,” Fontecchio said. “And obviously, the visit that the coach made to Rome to come to see me was very special and I really appreciated it.”

Fontechhio has paid back the Heat's effort with stellar performances on the court, as the team has barely missed Robinson in his stead.

---

Miami Heat’s Simone Fontecchio is outperforming Duncan Robinson in the 2025-26 season

If Fontecchio was simply matching up to Duncan Robinson’s contributions with the Miami Heat, it would’ve been reason enough to celebrate. The Italian has gone a step beyond and is outperforming Robinson this season. In fact, he is putting up better numbers than Robinson ever did through seven seasons with the Heat.

In one of his best seasons with the Heat, Robinson averaged 13.5 points and 3.2 rebounds while shooting 44.6% from 3-point range. Through his first three games in Miami, he is already shooting a better percentage (50% from beyond the arc) and has matched Robinson’s highest point average for the team.

It’s still early in the season, but if Simone Fontecchio continues to perform the same way, the Miami Heat will undoubtedly end up as the winners of the Robinson trade. Adding to Miami's advantage, Robinson is struggling with the Pistons, recording 9.0 points while shooting 34.8%, including 30% from 3-point range.

Edited by Sameer Khan