The Arizona Wildcats are one of the best teams in college basketball this season, as they are currently No. 8 in the latest AP Poll. The 12-3 team is full of talented players, including potential NBA prospects Kylan Boswell, Keshad Johnson, and KJ Lewis.
Another NBA prospect on their roster is 22-year-old senior guard Pelle Larsson.
Larsson is listed at 6-foot-6 and 215 pounds, similar to Christian Braun's measurements. Additionally, Larsson is originally from Sweden, his father played professional basketball in their home country, and his older brother played college basketball as well.
Let's take a deep dive at Pelle Larsson's offensive game.
Introduction
Larsson currently has two developmental pathways to potentially fulfill a role in the NBA, as he can develop into a secondary ball-handler and/or a stationary shooter. Overall, Larsson has positional size and is efficient in the pick-and-roll both as a driver and playmaker. Additionally, Larsson is capable of attacking closeouts and his biggest X-factor is his catch-and-shoot threes.
Catch-And-Shoot Threes
Let's start with Larsson's X-factor: catch-and-shoot threes.
As a sophomore at Arizona, Larsson converted only 23.1% of his guarded catch-and-shoot threes while making an impressive 49% of his unguarded catch-and-shoot threes. This dichotomy stayed consistent into his junior season, as he converted only 27% of his guarded catch-and-shoot threes but an impressive 52% of his unguarded catch-and-shoot threes.
Interestingly enough, this season Larsson has been efficient in both unguarded and guarded catch-and-shoot threes. So far this season, the Sweden native has converted 60% of his guarded catch-and-shoot threes (10 attempts) and 58% of his unguarded catch-and-shoot threes (12 attempts).
While his guarded catch-and-shoot three numbers are greatly improved, only 22 total catch-and-shoot three attempts on the season thus far leads me to believe that we need to see this continue for the rest of the season in order to illustrate a shift in the right direction. Lastly, Larsson is a career 84% free throw shooter on 329 career attempts, which is another positive shooting indicator.
In previous years, a possible reason for more misses on guarded catch-and-shoot threes was due to his form being slightly more inconsistent from shot to shot and overall was more frequently impacted by contests. This was likely due to a slightly slower release and shot prep than he's displayed so far this season.
Attacking Closeouts
If Larsson continues to improve his consistency as a catch-and-shoot player, he'll have ample opportunities to attack closeouts. The 6-foot-6 senior does an excellent job at creating for others off of closeouts or finishing at the rim if he has space.
Pick-And-Roll
An area Larsson has excelled in is the pick-and-roll. This season, Larsson is in the 82nd percentile in Pick-and-Roll (including passes) possessions in the NCAA this season (78 possessions), while last season he finished the season in the 91st percentile (117 possessions).
Pick-And-Roll Driving
While Larsson isn't a player who's likely to create for himself in the NBA, he's shown the capability of getting downhill when given even just a sliver of space off a pick-and-roll. He gets through show coverage without much trouble and also has the downhill power to get through drop defenders to finish at the rim once he has space. Lastly, Larsson has shown the quickness to drive past defenders who are flat-footed or try to prepare their position early on screens — allowing him to reject the screen and get a bucket.
Pick-And-Roll Playmaking
Larsson's ability to attack downhill off of screens creates attention towards him that opens up opportunities for his teammates. He's patient off the pick-and-roll and is capable of making passes to cutters, rollers, and even manipulates defenses with his eyes at times to get the ball to strongside corners or opposite wings.
Off-The-Dribble Shooting & Turnaround Jumper
Two other aspects of Larsson's offensive game he's shown potential in his shooting off the dribble and a developing turnaround jumper. His off-the-dribble shooting makes him a more dangerous threat in the pick-and-roll and on drives while his turnaround jumper could give him a fallback option in the midrange when he's stuck. Overall, he's shooting 42% on dribble jumpers this season (19 attempts).
Overall, Larsson has the potential to fulfill the role of a secondary ball-handler at the NBA level. Keeping his catch-and-shoot numbers high this season, especially guarded catch-and-shoot threes, will allow him to be inserted in a multitude of lineups as a stationary shooter who can attack closeouts. Additionally, the potential he's shown as a passer off of closeouts and in the pick-and-roll could lead to him fulfilling a secondary ball-handler role within a year or two in the league.
All play-by-play data courtesy of Synergy Sports
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