The Miami Heat have plenty to like on paper around their new front line. With two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo and six-time All-Defense honoree Bam Adebayo anchoring the interior, plus Davion Mitchell bringing defense at the point of attack and Andrew Wiggins providing a top-tier 3-and-D presence on the wing, the lineup has real teeth.
But one spot still hangs in the balance, and Pelle Larsson may be the player who decides it.
Larsson, 25, has gone from a No. 44 pick in 2024 to one of Miami’s most promising development wins. He’s built a reputation as a strong wing defender with an offensive game that keeps moving in the right direction.
As a rookie in 2024-25, Larsson averaged 4.6 points, 1.7 rebounds, and 1.2 assists in 14.2 minutes per game. In 2025-26, those numbers jumped to 11.4 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 3.4 assists while his playing time climbed to 26.4 minutes.
The efficiency followed. Larsson raised his field goal percentage from .438 to .496 and improved at the line from .672 to .796. On the defensive end, he also took another step forward, ranking in the 94th percentile in perimeter isolation defense in 2025-26, per Basketball Index.
That said, the biggest question around him is still the one that matters most: can he shoot it well enough to stay on the floor next to Antetokounmpo?
That issue goes right to the heart of Miami’s lineup puzzle. Antetokounmpo is elite almost everywhere, but his jumper remains the one area that doesn’t naturally carry the offense. The 31-year-old is a career 28.5 percent three-point shooter, and his game is built around downhill pressure, which makes spacing essential.
Larsson hasn’t answered that part yet. He shot 33.7 percent from deep as a rookie and then 32.3 percent from beyond the arc in 2025-26.
Even so, there’s plenty to work with. Larsson plays above the rim, brings real defensive versatility, and ranked in the 71st percentile in defensive positional versatility, per Basketball Index. The challenge is obvious: if the open jumper doesn’t become a reliable part of his game, it becomes hard to justify giving him major minutes.
That could push Miami toward older options, including offseason targets DeMar DeRozan, 37, and Klay Thompson, 36, for a role the Heat would probably prefer to give to a younger, athletic player in or near his prime.
There’s still obvious appeal in what DeRozan can do as a scorer and what Thompson brings as a shooter. But Larsson’s defense makes him impossible to ignore, especially since neither DeRozan nor Thompson is guaranteed to arrive.
If Larsson’s jumper comes around, Miami gets an efficient two-way piece who can fit alongside its stars. If it doesn’t, the Heat may have to search outside the roster for the stability they need.
In Other News...
Heat May Have Found The Bench Fit Nikola Jovic Needed
Miamis frontcourt picture is starting to come into focus, with Bam Adebayo, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Andrew Wiggins anchoring the starting group and Nikola Jovic shifting into a more prominent reserve role. That matters because Jovic has already flashed in the last two seasons, showing enough skill and versatility to suggest he can be more than just a depth piece when the fit around him is right.
Bobby Portis may be the kind of addition that changes the equation for the second unit. His ability to stretch the floor gives Miami a different look behind its starters and could open the kind of space Jovic needs to get back to the level he showed before last seasons drop-off. For a team trying to make its bench more functional, that pairing is one of the more intriguing developments to watch. [Read more 🡒]
Heat Could Quietly Solve A Frontcourt Concern Before Camp
As training camp approaches, the Heat may have an understated frontcourt option sitting right in front of them. Nick Richards has been around the program lately, working out with current Heat players and even wearing team gear, which has only added to the buzz around whether Miami might be looking to shore up its depth before the season gets rolling.
For a team that wants to manage the health of its big men and avoid overtaxing the rotation, Richards would fit a practical need. He would give Miami another body in the frontcourt mix, one more way to keep things steady through the grind of the season, even if nothing official has been announced yet. [Read more 🡒]
Hornets Fans Have A Real Debate In This Grayson Allen Trade Idea
The Heats roster picture looks different after the addition of Giannis Antetokounmpo, and that has opened the door to a lot of idle front-office chatter about what still needs to be filled around him. One of the more interesting ideas floating around is centered on Miamis search for shooting and a cleaner offensive fit, with Grayson Allen emerging as a name that would make sense on paper for a team trying to sharpen its spacing.
Allens track record as a floor-spacer and his relatively clean contract situation make him an easy player to discuss in a Miami context, especially with the Heat weighing how to round out the rest of the roster. The other side of the conversation is just as notable, though, because any serious move in this vein would have to account for Nikola Jovics development and value, which is why this kind of proposal has become more of a real debate than a throwaway trade concept. [Read more 🡒]