Unsurprisingly, the Detroit Pistons The Pistons do not have the most favorable ranking in the new installment of the NBA 2K video game. Since the Pistons have failed to exceed 15 wins in 2023-2024, they enter the new season as one of the clearest rebuilding teams in the NBA.
Yet one NBA reporter believes that Simone Fontecchio’s overall ranking is an insult. Starting at 78th, Fontecchio received some support from Bleacher Report Grant Hughes.
“Simone Fontecchio is no worse than teammate Tobias Harris, who is well-placed with an 80 overall rating,” Hughes wrote. “Fontecchio deserves to rank not only next to Harris, but ahead of Jaden Ivey and Paul Reed, who both start the season with 79 ratings.”
There’s a reason the Pistons planned to target Fontecchio as one of their key offseason signings this summer. While he quietly established himself as one of the NBA’s most reliable shooters with the Utah Jazz throughout the 2023-24 NBA season, Fontecchio really stood out during a short stint with the Pistons.
At the 2024 trade deadline, the Pistons added Fontecchio in exchange for Kevin Knox, a draft pick and the rights to a stockpile of overseas players. Landing on a roster where veterans are typically short-term players, Fontecchio was an outlier.
In 16 games with the Pistons, the Italian forward averaged 15 points on 43 percent three-point shooting. He set career highs in points scored, shooting efficiency, rebounds and assists with the Pistons. Shortly after taking over, the Pistons re-signed Fontecchio to a multi-year contract.
It’s clear Detroit envisions a significant role for him. And while his sample size was small last season, he was very productive playing alongside Cade Cunningham. BR Comparing Fontecchio’s final season with that of newly acquired Harris, questions about the grade are justified.
“The Italian forward is more than three years younger than Harris, outshot him in three-point shooting last year by a margin of 40.1 percent to 35.3 percent, and posted a nearly identical success rate, finishing with 18.4 points per 36 minutes to Harris’ 18.3,” Hughes added.
Heading into his third year, the 28-year-old Fontecchio could really turn heads. Playing a full year alongside Cunningham for the Pistons while maintaining close to 30 minutes of action could help Fontecchio break the 80-minute mark in NBA 2K down the road.