Pelle Larsson is getting set to lead Sweden into Eurobasket 2025, and if he plays anything like he did during summer league, the Miami Heat will have no choice but to guarantee him a prominent role in the rotation.
This could technically be a problem, when you consider how many guard-types head coach Erik Spoelstra has at his disposal. But the Heat still have a glaring need for another primary ball-handler and playmaker, and at 6'6", Larsson has the size to be moved around the positional spectrum.
Still, we shouldn’t get ahead of our skeez. Larsson needs to show out for Sweden once they take the court, which will happen for the first time on Wednesday, August 27, against Finland.
Pelle Larsson could deliver much of what they Heat still need
Miami addressed some of its biggest problems by stealing Norman Powell from the Los Angeles Clippers. The offense lacked plenty of juice without Jimmy Butler last year, and the 32-year-old promises to bring rim pressure and outside shooting in spades.
Neither Powell nor, for that matter, Davion Mitchell are wired to run the entire offense, though. Tyler Herro stands alone in that department—unless Larsson can give him some company.
Through his five summer-league performances, he averaged 17.0 points and 3.0 assists while knocking down 51.5 percent of his two-pointers, and averaging a Shai Gilgeous-Alexanderian 9.0 free-throw attempts per game. His ability to make things happen when he gets downhill is uncanny.
Despite not wielding much raw explosion, he attacks at a varying cadence that allows him to get past or go through defenders, both with or without a ball screen. The finishing around the rim isn’t the cleanest—he ranked in the 37th percentile of efficiency at the hoop as a rookie—but the volume matters more for now. Especially when it comes with an affinity for drawing contact. He just posted Miami’s second-highest foul rate on drives.
Though Larsson’s three-point efficiency has yet to jump off the page, he is a deft mover without the ball, and has shown he can bury catch-and-shoot triples. His comfort pulling up off the dribble from mid-range or uncorking runners in the lane infers a certain touch that lets us believe in the development of his jumper, without expressing too much concern over unspectacular accuracy from the stripe.
The one thing Pelle Larsson can do to lock down a prominent role in Miami
Assuming Larsson continues to do what he does best for Sweden, his capacity to orchestrate offense for others will be a turning point entering next season.
Herro was the only Heat player last year to rate in the 50th percentile or better of both passing versatility and creation quality, according to BBall Index. That vacuum of table-setting talent remains.
Larsson flashed plenty of passing IQ in summer league, including the bandwidth for throwing lobs, spraying out to shooters, spearheading transition opportunities, and dime-ing up cutters off dribble penetration. The turnovers were at times a problem; he can be too laissez-faire with passes out of the pick-and-roll and into the post, and needs to be more aware of who’s behind him. But his vision should shine in an environment with better spacing, and bigs with better hands.
Truth be told, Larsson should already be penciled into Coach Spo’s rotation. Eurobasket is more about reiterating the upside he brings to the table—and forcing the Heat to expand his role more than even they expected.