If you were looking for the loudest takeaway from Heat media day, it came from the noise around Pelle Larsson. The praise wasn’t subtle.
Erik Spoelstra had it. Davion Mitchell had it.
And Giannis Antetokounmpo, maybe the most eye-catching voice of all, had it too.
“Pelle is fu-- excuse my language. Pelle is good. I didn't know but he's good.” - Giannis
That kind of reaction says plenty about how Larsson has looked this summer and how much he’s already impressed the people around the team. It also feeds the growing sense that Miami may have a real glue guy on its hands, the kind of player who fits cleanly into a group trying to push toward a championship run.
Still, all the praise in the world won’t matter much once the games start. Larsson has heard the right things.
He’s said the right things. Now the regular season is the only test that counts.
The setup, though, is about as friendly as it gets for a young player trying to break through. He won’t be the first target for opposing defenses on a night-to-night basis with Giannis and Bam Adebayo on the roster. He’s also expected to begin the season coming off the bench, which should give him a wider runway than he’d have in the starting five.
There’s another layer to it, too. Miami’s lack of backcourt depth should open the door for Larsson to move around and handle different assignments. That gives him a chance to show the versatility that makes him valuable in the first place.
He isn’t the type of player built around one narrow skill. His appeal is in doing a little bit of everything, and doing it well. The Heat are likely to keep asking him to fill different roles, and that should only help make his case even stronger if he delivers once the season gets rolling.
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Conwell even beat Klay Thompson in a three-point shooting drill, a small moment that still says plenty about his confidence and skill set. He has also shown the kind of hustle and awareness Miami tends to value, including a play involving Giannis Antetokounmpo, but the real test now is whether those flashes translate into something Erik Spoelstra can trust once the games start for real. [Read more 🡒]
Heat Built Around Giannis And Bam Still Has One Obvious Question
The Heats offseason overhaul gave the roster a very different look, with Giannis Antetokounmpo arriving in a major trade that sent Tyler Herro, Jaime Jaquez Jr. and other pieces to Milwaukee. Miami also added more shooting in free agency by signing Tim Hardaway Jr. and Klay Thompson, a clear attempt to surround Antetokounmpo and Bam Adebayo with enough spacing to make the fit work on both ends.
Even with all that firepower, one league scout still sees a lingering issue in how the pieces connect, and it is the kind of issue that can shape everything from half-court offense to late-game decisions. The concern centers on point guard play, with Miami still looking for a true organizer to settle the group and make sure Antetokounmpo and Adebayo are being used in the cleanest possible way. [Read more 🡒]