Miami Heat guard Pelle Larsson’s had a great summer. (Mandatory Credit: Marcin Golba/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Pelle Larsson is set to be one of three Miami Heat players playing in the 2025 EuroBasket, where he will be suiting up for Sweden next week.
The second-year guard had a minimal role as a rookie, but is expected to be vying for a spot in the rotation with Duncan Robinson and Haywood Highsmith no longer in the fold.
Making his rounds around Europe to watch each of his players play in their exhibitions, Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra continued lauding Larsson’s skillset and fit with the organization.
“What [Pelle Larsson] does are the things that we value,” Spoelstra said. “He’s tough. He makes winning plays. He’s a great role player. He fits around your best players. He will continue to get better because he has a great work ethic, and outside of that, he’s just a great human being.
“We like that balance of players who really know how to compete between those four lines, put it all out there to try and help your team win, but also be good people and get along with the other teammates. And he does that extremely well.”
Larsson, 24, was the Heat’s best player throughout Summer League and will likely be in a primary creator role with Sweden. In five combined Summer League games, Larsson averaged 17.4 points, 3.0 rebounds and 3.0 assists on 60.6 percent true shooting.
The Arizona alum played in 55 games as a rookie, tallying just 4.6 points across 14.2 minutes. Though his impact went beyond the box score. As a rookie, he was an excellent defender, a heady cutter and a rock-solid connective playmaker.
It’s easy to see why Spoelstra has such affection for Larsson’s game. Turn on the tape and he’s your quintessential glue guy that doesn’t need the ball to be impactful.
The stats for every game aren’t available. But Sweden went 1-4 in its exhibition games against Poland (1-1), Iceland, Portugal and Estonia. Sweden is in Group B with Germany, Finland, Great Britain, Lithuania and Montenegro. They begin Group Stage play on Aug. 27, with the top-four teams advancing to the knockout stage.
If Larsson is able to parlay his summer into success during training camp and in the preseason, I like his chances to be a key rotation player for the Heat throughout the 2025-26 season.
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