Simone Fontecchio recalls his reaction after receiving Jazz contract, first NBA moment / News - Basketnews.com

Simone Fontecchio admitted he was shocked after receiving a contract offer from the Utah Jazz.

Credit: Getty Images via AFP Credit Getty Images via AFP

Simone Fontecchio continues establishing his name in the NBA by raising his production on the court for the Utah Jazz.

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However, the 27-year-old Italian recalled a moment before the 2015 NBA Draft.

After declaring for the Draft, Fontecchio attended a Boston Celtics pre-draft workout. He spoke to Celtics general manager Danny Ainge, and the team showed interest in him.

However, a few days after the tryout, Fontecchio's agent withdrew his name from the draft.

"I don't know if it was the right choice," Fontecchio admitted while talking to Cam Cobey from NBA.com.

However, everything ended up for the best. After a successful campaign in the Tokyo Olympics, where Fontecchio averaged 19.3 points per game, shooting at an impressive 52.7% from the field and 45.5% from deep, a belief about making the NBA started to nag him.

"I started thinking to myself, maybe I really have a shot [at the NBA]," he said. "But I knew it wasn't going to be easy."

However, Danny Ainge saw these performances and Fontecchio's progress in the EuroLeague, which resulted in a contract offer to Fontecchio.

"We were so shocked," Fontecchio admitted while talking to NBA.com. "My family was really, really happy."

Simone was off to Salt Lake City and the United States for the first time since his pre-draft workout in 2015.

After spending five seasons in the EuroLeague, Fontecchio has seen the differences in rules, length of the game, timeout distribution, and scoring style.

However, he took advantage of his first meaningful NBA minutes, scoring 13 points in the Jazz's fourth game of the season against the Houston Rockets.

"That was the first real moment when I thought, 'OK, this is the NBA. You're an NBA player. Enjoy this,'" Fontecchio said. "It lasted like 10 seconds, and then it was 'Just go back to work.'"

Fontecchio has been getting more playing time after the trade deadline and is executing when his name is called.

In his last 14 games, he averages 10.7 points and shoots 37.3% from the 3-point range. He also put up a career-high 26 points against the Milwaukee Bucks.

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