Heat Coach Expects Growth From Pelle Larsson In Year 2: 'What He Does Are the Things That We Value.'

The Miami Heat will be heading into the 2025-26 season as one of the youngest rosters in the league. With some intriguing offseason deals, the Heat could potentially emerge as a dark horse in the East thanks to their talented young core.

Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra addressed the state of the roster, voicing his expectations of the team. In doing so, he turned the spotlight towards sophomore guard Pelle Larsson. When speaking about his expectations for Larsson, he said:

"You could see at the end of the year he'd started to carve out a bigger role. What he does are the things that we value. He's so tough. He makes winning plays. He's a great role player. He fits around your best players, and 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 that really know how to compete between those four lines, put it all out there to help your team win, but can also be good people and get along with the other teammates. He does that extremely well."

Spoelstra certainly appears to hold Larsson in high regard. When considering his performances in his rookie season, the Heat guard wouldn't seem to be an impressive candidate. However, he showcased a lot of pot ential as a role player in the last legs of the regular season.

For the season, Larsson recorded an average of 4.6 points, 1.7 rebounds, and 1.2 assists per game, while shooting 43.8% from the field and 33.7% from three-point range. 

But in the span of six games between the end of March and early April, he put up an average of 10.6 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 3.5 assists per game, on shooting splits of 44.0% from the field and 36.8% from three-point range. These are solid numbers for a rotation player, and even more impressive from a rookie.

Spoelstra has a lot of faith in Larsson, as he has also traveled to Sweden to watch the young guard represent his country at the 2025 EuroBasket. 

Larsson notched 13 points during a recent warm-up game against Estonia. Although the Swedish team had an opportunity to win it, Estonia managed to secure a one-point lead after a key three-pointer by Artur Konunstuk. 

Larsson attempted to seal the game with a layup, but unfortunately came up short as the ball rolled off the rim, resulting in an 87-88 loss.

Given the way the Heat are expected to approach the upcoming season, the young guard could be in line to receive meaningful minutes in the rotation. Apart from being a solid scorer and playmaker, Larsson has also shown defensive upside, which will be worth cultivating moving forward.