There hasn’t been much to complain about this season for fans of the Detroit Pistons.
The team is on the verge of making the playoffs after winning just 14 games last season, something not even Homer #1 (me) saw coming, though I did think they'd be better than expected.
The disappointments have been few in what has been a renaissance season that ranks among the best stories in the NBA.
If you had to name one, it would probably be Simone Fontecchio, who signed a modest two-year deal in the offseason, a contract I thought would be one of the best value deals in the NBA after Fontecchio ended last season red-hot for the Pistons.
That really hasn’t been the case, as Fontecchio struggled with a toe injury that limited him early in the season, and he hasn't been able to find a consistent role off the bench.
He’s only shooting 40 percent overall and just 34 percent from long range, way down from the 48 and 42 percent he put up in a 16-game stretch last season.
But we saw what he can bring last night, as he poured in 23 points off the bench in the Pistons’ route of the Pelicans, hitting all five of his shots from long range.
The Pistons have gotten this far without much from Fontecchio, but he is starting to heat up and could be the X-Factor in their run to the playoffs and beyond.
Simone Fontecchio getting hot at the right time for the Detroit Pistons
Fontecchio has only averaged 6.3 points per game this season off the bench in just 17 minutes, so it’s not like the Pistons rely heavily on him for scoring.
You usually know right away if Fontecchio is going to be a factor, and when he is, the Pistons are hard to beat.
Detroit has an 11-4 record this season when Fontecchio scores in double digits, so while they may not need his scoring, when they get it, they usually win.
The good news is that Fontecchio is starting to heat up at the right time, as he is shooting 56.3 percent from the floor over his last 10 games and a scorching 44.8 percent from long range.
Given his struggles for most of the season, Fontecchio has more or less been written off by other teams, and is a factor they may not see coming, as the focus is always going to be on Cade Cunningham, and you have to scan down to the 9th man to see Tek.
It could be that the toe injury was affecting Fontecchio more than we knew, as he looks more comfortable and his shot is rounding back into the form we saw last season.
With Tim Hardaway Jr. currently in a slump, Tek’s scoring has gone from “gravy” to “needed” pretty quickly, so let’s hope he continues to roll and make a big impact in the Pistons’ playoff run.