(Mandatory Credit: Pelle Larsson // Miami Heat // Instagram)
Last October, Miami Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra called then-second-round rookie Pelle Larsson an “elite role player” and a “plug-and-play”-type player. The Arizona alum was one of the best glue guys in college basketball and parlayed that into a successful first few months with the organization last summer.
But while Larsson, 24, found ways to impact the Heat as a cutter or as a defender (despite fouling a lot), his opportunity as a rookie was few and far between. He appeared in 55 games — including eight starts — averaging just 4.6 points on 43.8 percent shooting and 54.6 percent true shooting.
His value, however, extended beyond the box score—like discovering a hidden gem in a free keno game, Larsson’s subtle contributions often flew under the radar but made a meaningful impact.
At times, the 6-foot-5 guard was called upon with cold feet and became the primary defender for the opposing team’s top option — such as for Cam Johnson and Tyrese Maxey — and excelled. He was never afraid to get in players’ grills, generate deflections and be active on the glass. Larsson had to find ways to create an impact as the fourth or fifth option offensively.
However, as a result, he couldn’t establish any rhythm offensively, which led to inconsistent results. Larsson did better down the stretch, averaging 6.5 points and 2.2 rebounds on 37.5 percent shooting from deep in 18.9 minutes in his final 14 games. But his box score still never told the full story of what he provided — and, more importantly, what he was capable of.
Now, after he very clearly established himself as the Heat’s best player in Summer League as their primary creator, could he have a breakout season? Let’s examine!
In five combined Summer League games, Larsson averaged 17.4 points, 3.0 rebounds and 3.0 assists on 42.3 percent shooting and 60.6 percent true shooting.
I won’t sit here and tell you that Summer League stats are an indictment of a player’s career arc — in fact, for over 90 percent of players, it’s the opposite. But you look for skills that are translatable within a microscopic sample, albeit against inferior competition.
While he wasn’t as efficient as a shotmaker, Larsson showcased improvement as a shot creator during the summer. He still needs to fine-tune his ballhandling (which can be shaky), as well as his downhill decision-making and passing accuracy. But there was overall improvement offensively — as well as being their best point-of-attack defender.
Now will that lend a breakout season?
I think there’s a world where Larsson starts the season in the Heat rotation and doesn’t relinquish his spot (barring injury). At his best, he’s an ancillary role player who impacts winning, and we know this organization loves those players.
From Duncan Robinson to Max Strus, Gabe Vincent and Caleb Martin in past seasons — while they are all different players with different skillsets — if we know anything about Spoelstra, you need to develop trust. And Larsson showed this summer that he can be trusted more now than he was at this time last year.
He’ll obviously have to fight for minutes alongside Norman Powell, Tyler Herro, Nikola Jovic and Andrew Wiggins, among others. But you could argue that the 24-year-old is one of the Heat’s best two-way guards off the bench, which they have lacked in the past two seasons. And for that, he could be primed to break out in his second NBA season.
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