Many will look back at the Miami Heat getting their first win and notice the changes that Erik Spoelstra, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Bam Adebayo made to get the offense going. They may even notice an awakening from Andrew Wiggins on both ends of the floor. Or perhaps even the fact that Tim Hardaway Jr. finally looked competent with the ball in his hands.
However, there's a strong case to be made that it was Pelle Larsson's versatility that truly sparked this team into their best offensive performance of the season thus far. If Larsson is able to package this effort and carry it into every game this season, it will make the Heat the most dangerous version of themselves on the offensive end of the floor.
Larsson finished with 17 points and six rebounds on 6-for-12 shooting from the floor and 2-for-3 from the 3-point range. However, it was his eight assists that truly made the difference for Miami.
Pelle Larsson gave the Heat an effective secondary playmaker
"Pelle gave us some great options to run some P&Rs for him with either Giannis or Bam. He's really improved his decision making and I really credit the last two summers with his national team"
As Spoelstra notes, Larsson gave the Heat that much-needed secondary playmaker when he was on the floor. Whether it was playing off Davion Mitchell when he had the ball in his hands as a second action, or running the pick-and-roll with either Bam or Giannis, Larsson gave this team an element that they just didn't have during the first four games of the season.
Part of that is Spoelstra opening up the offense to run more pick-and-rolls, but another part of it was Larsson getting into spots where he could benefit from such opportunities on the offensive end of the floor.
And honestly, it's difficult to argue with the results. It wasn't just that the Heat scored their most points of the season thus far. That's part of it. But it's the fact that the Heat looked comfortable and free-flowing while doing so.
It felt right. Larsson played a big part in that.
Point Pelle Larsson is an idea the Heat experimented with in the preseason
This is not a call for Larsson to take more of a point guard role, though that is something the Heat experimented with during the preseason, but it does give Spoelstra another card to play when the offense does get stagnant. After all, it's Larsson's versatility that makes him so valuable to the Heat off the bench.
Additionally, for a team that has some playmaking concerns, it should give Spoelstra some comfort that Larsson can take on a bigger responsibility with the ball in his hands if needed.
After one game, it'd be shocking if Spoelstra and the Heat completely abandoned their read-and-react, high-pace offensive philosophy, but it was a breath of fresh air to see them change things up by integrating more PnR action. It certainly paid off against the Hawks.
Perhaps most importantly, the Heat may have also unlocked a key to the best version of their offense, with Larsson at the center of it all.
Add us as a preferred source on Google