Erik Spoelstra shares ‘the first thing’ he spoke to Simone Fontecchio about since joining Miami Heat

Erik Spoelstra told Simone Fontecchio to use his size defensively

Erik Spoelstra spoke to reporters during the Miami Heat’s training camp. When asked about new arrival, Simone Fontecchio, Spoelstra was candid.

He revealed his first conversation with Fontecchio was for him to use his size and strength on the defensive end and become more of a point-of-attack defender.

“He wants to find where he can be effective. He’s really been competing on the defensive side of the floor.

“That’s the first thing I talked to him about, is being able to use his size.

“He has shown, particularly in Eurobasket, one of his years in Utah, they tasked him with defending a lot of other teams’ better, winning players. He’s shown an ability to be physical defensively.

“He’s been well coached in the league, so he has a way of doing it. We are thinking in our system that can get better; that’s his challenge: to be able to defend with physicality and discipline.

“Then offensively, he just has a skill set with and without the ball that will fit this group. He knows what he’s doing, and he feels comfortable without the ball, which is important”.

Miami Heat roster looking for opportunities to improve

Fontecchio is just one of the many young stars on the Miami Heat who will be trying to prove themselves next season.

The Heat have made a lot of changes going into the new campaign. But one thing stays the same – the vaunted Heat Culture.

Players will be expected to put in the work and play hard on a night-in, night-out basis to earn their spot on the roster.

Hopefully, the Heat can develop their stars well enough and get back to being a competitive side in the years to come.