The J-Notes
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Ranking the Utah Jazz’s FIBA 5 after the first two rounds of the tournament

By Chad Porto

US's Walker Kessler (2L) dunks the ball during the FIBA Basketball World Cup quarter-final match between US and Italy in Manila on September 5, 2023. (Photo by Ezra Acayan / POOL / AFP) (Photo by EZRA ACAYAN/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
US's Walker Kessler (2L) dunks the ball during the FIBA Basketball World Cup quarter-final match between US and Italy in Manila on September 5, 2023. (Photo by Ezra Acayan / POOL / AFP) (Photo by EZRA ACAYAN/POOL/AFP via Getty Images) /
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MANILA, PHILIPPINES – 2023/09/05: Josh Hart (R) of the United States and Simone Fontecchio (L) of Italy seen in action during the second round of the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 between the United States and Italy at the Mall of Asia Arena-Manila. Final score; United States 109:63 Italy. (Photo by Nicholas Muller/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)
MANILA, PHILIPPINES – 2023/09/05: Josh Hart (R) of the United States and Simone Fontecchio (L) of Italy seen in action during the second round of the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 between the United States and Italy at the Mall of Asia Arena-Manila. Final score; United States 109:63 Italy. (Photo by Nicholas Muller/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images) /

Team Italy’s Simone Fontecchio – Small Forward

Per Game Average – 30.8 minutes,  18.4 points (43% overall, 61% from TWO, 23% from THREE, 81% FT), 6.6 rebounds, 1.8 assists, BPM +6, 16.4 EFF

Just with everyone else on the Utah Jazz, and seemingly from across the FIBA World Cup Tournament, shooting threes was not something Simone Fontecchio did well. That said, he shot over 60% from inside the three-point line during his run through the FIBA World Cup’s first two rounds.

He was Team Italy’s driving force and because of him, they were able to get a birth in the Elite Eight of the tournament, aka the Quarter Finals. Granted, Team Italy got smashed by the Americans, but that doesn’t take away from the fact that they had a great run and showcased what Fontecchio could really do.

In fact, the reason why Fontecchio made it to number one solely has to do with how high his stock jumped in the tournament. Yes, Lauri Markkanen and Jordan Clarkson are the better players, but Fontecchio was able to lead his team to more wins than both Markkanen and Clarkson could combine.

His performances were stable and reliable and those should give him more minutes come the 2023-2024 season. No one else on this list will see fewer or more minutes due to their performances, but Fontecchio absolutely should.

That’s why he takes the top slot.

Next. Bleacher Report names the 3 players the Utah Jazz should trade for. dark

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