The Miami Heat are searching for something, anything, to jolt a 3-6 start back to life, and the answer may already be on the roster. Pelle Larsson is starting to look like the one internal option who can give this group a real lift.
That possibility matters now more than ever. With the Heat still trying to find reliable production next to Giannis Antetokounmpo and Bam Adebayo, Larsson’s emergence could be the kind of development that nudges this season in a better direction. There are already a few signs that he’s getting close.
Through nine games, Larsson is hitting 40 percent of his 3-pointers, a career high, and 90 percent of his free throws, also a career best. He’s adding four assists per game, another personal high, while averaging 11 points a night. The scoring isn’t eye-popping, but the broader leap may be right around the corner.
That’s where the starting lineup conversation comes in. Erik Spoelstra may have to look at Larsson as a possible answer if he wants an internal spark, and the move could be as simple as giving him Andrew Wiggins’ spot.
Miami’s current starting five of Davion Mitchell, Klay Thompson, Andrew Wiggins, Giannis, and Bam has posted a net rating of -8.9 in 103 minutes together. Put Larsson in that group instead of Wiggins, and the number flips to +22.5. That version has only played 26 minutes, so the sample is tiny, but the contrast is hard to ignore.
This wouldn’t magically fix everything. But it might be the first lineup tweak that gives the Heat a chance to stop digging early holes every night. Right now, that matters.
Spoelstra has usually shown patience with veterans and let them work through rough patches. This season may not allow for that kind of wait. With the expectations around Giannis added into the mix, Miami needs answers now, and Larsson may be the only player who can provide the kind of jolt this team is missing.
The Heat may have preferred to keep that card tucked away a little longer. Instead, they may have no choice but to play it now.
In Other News...
Heat Roster Debate Is Heating Up After Miamis Rough Start
Miamis rough start has put a spotlight on more than just the box score, with the conversation around the Heat now spilling into how the roster is being viewed from the outside. The latest NBA 2K ratings have become a talking point because they mirror the uneven feel of the season so far, with established names like Bam Adebayo and Klay Thompson landing in different places as the team tries to find its footing.
Davion Mitchell has been one of the more notable risers, a sign that his impact is being noticed even as the bigger picture remains unsettled. For a Heat group still searching for consistency, the ratings debate is less about a video game number than what it says about who is driving the team forward and who still has room to climb. [Read more 🡒]
Heat Slow Start Keeps Pointing To Three Problems Spoelstra Must Fix
The Heats uneven start has left Erik Spoelstra staring at a familiar kind of early-season puzzle: a team that can look organized in stretches, then drift into the same trouble spots that keep showing up on both ends of the floor. At 3-6, Miami has not been able to string together enough consistent offense or defense to settle in, and the numbers point to a few specific areas where the margin for error has been too thin.
Miami has been efficient when it does use pick-and-roll action, but it has not leaned on it often enough, and the spacing around those possessions has not always helped. The other issues are just as obvious, with spot-up jumpers producing too little and opponents finding too much success from three-point range. For a team that expects to tighten up as the season goes on, those are the kinds of problems that can keep a slow start from turning into something more manageable. [Read more 🡒]
Andrew Wiggins Is Becoming A Real Heat Concern Early
Andrew Wiggins early stretch in Miami has become one of the more notable subplots around a Heat team that is still trying to find its footing at 3-6. Through nine games, Wiggins has been working to settle in alongside Giannis Antetokounmpo, but the production has been modest so far, and the Heat are clearly looking for more from a player who was brought in to help raise the level of the group.
The concern around Wiggins has gone beyond the box score, too, with some outside chatter suggesting his edge may not be quite where it was before he secured his contract extension. Whether that proves to be fair or not, the Heat need the version of Wiggins who can bring consistent energy and impact while he adjusts to a new role, because early-season patience only lasts so long when the results are not there. [Read more 🡒]