Pelle Larsson’s encouraging second season creates interesting offseason decision for Heat
The Miami Heat took a step in the wrong direction this past season, missing the playoffs for the first time since 2019. But guard Pelle Larsson took a step forward.
After an up-and-down rookie season that included inconsistent playing time, Larsson established himself as an essential component of the Heat’s rotation in his second NBA season with his quality two-way play as a complementary player.
“I’m happy with how I performed and played this year, compared to last year,” Larsson, 25, said in the wake of the Heat’s 43-39 regular season and season-ending loss in the play-in tournament. “I definitely stepped up in my development. I think just getting more minutes, being on the court more and getting more familiarity with everyone around here. I got trusted more with our new offense, and that was great. I think it resulted in a lot of good things for me.”
Larsson, who was selected by the Heat with the 44th overall pick in the second round of the 2024 NBA Draft, displayed improvement across the board in his second NBA season.
Larsson averaged 6.8 more points per game (11.4 this season compared to 4.6 last season), 1.8 more rebounds (3.5 this season compared to 1.7 last season), 2.2 more assists (3.4 this season compared to 1.2 last season) and 12.1 more minutes (26.4 this season compared to 14.3 last season). The Swedish guard also shot 49.6% from the field, 32.3% from three-point range and 79.7% from the foul line this season.
Larsson logged double-digit minutes in 66 of the 70 games that he was available for this season. The Heat outscored opponents by 2.4 points per 100 possessions with Larsson on the court.
Larsson also thrived while playing in two different roles this season, showcasing his versatility and ability to play in different lineups. He made 54 starts and played 16 games off the bench this season.
Among all second-round selections in the 2024 Draft, Larsson ranked first in minutes played per game this season.
“Pelle had a massive jump, just in terms of being the ultimate glue guy in any lineup,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. “And you can see how his offensive improvement came with confidence and the work behind the scenes.”
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That “massive jump” creates an interesting offseason decision for the Heat, as Larsson will become eligible to sign an extension worth up to $93 million over four years this summer.
Larsson has one more season left on his rookie contract, and it’s a team option worth $2.3 million. He becomes eligible to sign an extension with the Heat starting on July 6 after the Heat picks up the option in his contract ahead of the June 29 option deadline, and the window to sign an extension remains open until June 30, 2027.
The Heat could pick up the option in his contract before next month’s deadline to guarantee his salary for this upcoming season, and not immediately sign him to the extension before the start of the season. But the risk for the Heat would be Larsson’s price tag going up if he continues to improve next season.
Larsson is set to become a restricted free agent next offseason if he doesn’t agree to an extension with the Heat before June 30, 2027.
There’s also the looming possibility that Larsson could be included in a potential Heat trade for an All-Star caliber talent like Milwaukee Bucks two-time NBA MVP and nine-time All-NBA forward Giannis Antetokounmpo this offseason.
Whatever happens in the coming months, Larsson’s plan is to build on his impressive sophomore NBA campaign.
“I think I definitely have more to build on,” said Larsson, who finished this season tied with Hear guard Dru Smith as the team leaders for charges drawn (12). “I don’t really see the whole season as one chapter. It’s kind of like gradually changing throughout the season, too. My first season, I didn’t play at all at the beginning. And by the end, I really started to get into some type of flow. Similar to this one, I was hurt a little bit and didn’t play, and then got to play more and more.”
Larsson wants to continue improving offensively in close-out situations as a secondary off-ball option for the Heat. That means getting better as a spot-up shooter and also finding different ways to attack close outs off the dribble.
“I think how I viewed my game at the end of the season was a lot different from how I viewed it in the beginning,” Larsson said. “So I think it’s just going to gradually keep growing that way.”
