Simone

Fontecchio

Fontecchio played 70 games in his first season with the Heat, averaging 8.5 points, 3.0 rebounds, 1.4 assists and 1.8 three-pointers in 16.8 minutes. While the 6-foot-7 forward has rarely affected fantasy basketball, the Heat’s need for shooters around Giannis Antetokounmpo and Bam Adebayo means that he should once again log rotation minutes in 2026-27. Last season, Fontecchio shot 37.5 percent from beyond the arc, an improvement of four percentage points from his 2024-25 number in Detroit (33.5 percent).

Fontecchio will not play on Sunday after being considered probable on the initial report released on Saturday. Tyler Herro is available and was going to reclaim his spot in the starting lineup, regardless of Fontecchio’s status.

Initially probable for Sunday’s game, Fontecchio is trending in the wrong direction on availability. Tyler Herro will be available after sitting out Friday’s win over the Wizards; he’ll regain his spot in the starting lineup regardless of what happens with Fontecchio.

Fontecchio is dealing with a sore left ankle, but the probable tag suggests he’s on track to play. He started Friday’s win over the Wizards and scored 24 points, knocking down six three-pointers.

Herro and Mitchell are available for Sunday’s regular-season finale after not playing in Friday’s win over the Wizards. Their returns will push Simone Fontecchio and Kasparas Jakučionis to the bench, with the former offering a higher ceiling when used in a reserve role. A win over the Hawks, combined with a Hornets loss to the Knicks, would move Miami into the No. 9 seed. They would host the 9 vs. 10 game on Wednesday night.

Inserted into the Heat starting lineup with Tyler Herro sidelined, Fontecchio had one of his best offensive showings of the season. The 6-foot-7 forward made six of his seven three-point attempts, scoring a season-high 24 points. If Herro remains out for Sunday’s game against the Hawks, Fontecchio may get another start. At a minimum, he likely got himself back onto Erik Spoelstra’s radar after being a DNP-CD the prior two games.

The Heat will not have Davion Mitchell, Tyler Herro or Norman Powell for Friday’s game, with the absences of the first two creating openings in the starting lineup. Jakučions and Ware will move into the starting lineup, with Fontecchio replacing Pelle Larsson.

Powell returned to action on Tuesday after missing the previous four due to illness, and now he’s dealing with a sore groin. Pelle Larsson remained in the starting lineup on Tuesday; Simone Fontecchio could see action on Thursday if Powell doesn’t play. Fontecchio was a DNP-CD the last time out.

Scratched from the lineup for Saturday’s win over the Wizards for personal reasons, Herro is on track to play Tuesday night. His return would push Simone Fontecchio to the bench.

Not long after he was announced as a starter, Herro was ruled out for personal reasons. Simone Fontecchio will start, joining Davion Mitchell, Pelle Larsson, Andrew Wiggins and Bam Adebayo.