Heat wing drops bold take on Giannis-Bam frontcourt pairing

Simone Fontecchio isn’t shy about what he thinks the Miami Heat just put together in the frontcourt.

The Italian wing, who officially re-signed with the Heat on a one-year minimum deal this week, was asked Friday about the team’s blockbuster trade for Giannis Antetokounmpo and Bobby Portis Jr. The deal won’t be official until July 6, but that hasn’t stopped the takes from flying. Fontecchio went straight to defense.

“They might be the best frontcourt in the NBA defensively,” Fontecchio said through the Miami Herald. “Offensively with the force they play with, it’s going to be super interesting.”

Pairing Antetokounmpo with Bam Adebayo gives Miami two All-Defensive caliber bigs who can switch, protect the rim and lock up in space. That’s a nightmare for opposing offenses on paper. The question is how it looks when the ball is actually tipped. Fontecchio seems unconcerned about fit.

“We are going to find a way and Spo will find a way to make it work as he did last year with a completely new offense,” he said. “We’ll definitely find a way.”

Fontecchio shot 37.5 percent from three last season for Miami, and he knows exactly what kind of space Antetokounmpo creates for shooters. “He can make life for other people around me so much easier,” Fontecchio said. That’s the whole idea. Surround Giannis with enough floor spacers and watch the paint collapse.

Why Fontecchio came back on a minimum deal

Fontecchio made it clear in his exit interview after last season that he wanted to stay. The Heat didn’t have much cap room to work with — they told him as much. But he didn’t care.

“Last week, they said, ‘Listen, we don’t have much room to operate.’ But my thought process was, I want to stay here,” Fontecchio said. “I want to put some continuity to what I was doing here. There is a real big opportunity for the Heat with the Giannis trade and what it’s going to mean for the franchise and city.”

That kind of buy-in on a minimum deal is exactly what Miami needs right now. The Heat also added Tim Hardaway Jr. this week and don’t appear done making moves. But the foundation of the new look is the Antetokounmpo-Adebayo pairing. If Fontecchio is right about that defense, the rest of the East has a real problem.