Miami Heat Rookie Pelle Larsson Enjoys Breakout Game in Rare Start

The Miami Heat faced a challenge even before taking the floor in Philadelphia in search of a fourth consecutive win due to the fact that would-be starters Anderw Wiggins and Duncan Robinson were absent from the lineup due to nagging injuries.

Choosing not to deviate from utilizing Haywood Highsmith and Davion Mitchell off the bench, head coach Erik Spoelstra turned to veteran Alec Burks and rookie Pelle Larsson in his first five and was rewarded with 34 combined points and 8-for-14 3-point shooting as the Heat coasted to a 118-95 win that helped equal the team’s longest win streak of the season.

For Larsson, it was his third career start and second this month, marking the second time
(Jan. 23) that Miami started rookies Kel'el Ware and Larsson. The Swedish guard played the second-most minutes of his pro career (30:00), tied his season-highs with 14 points and two blocks while setting new personal superlatives with six rebounds and four steals to go along with four assists.

Larsson was originally credited with a fifth theft, which would’ve tied 76ers forward Justin Edwards for most all season among first-year players, but he was ultimately deemed to have recorded four steals. He sparked Miami with eight first-half points and filled the stat sheet in multiple categories to help his team get off to an 11-point halftime lead.

“We’re trying to build something right now this season and go on a run,” Larsson said as the post-game guest on the Miami Heat broadcast. “(The losing streak) put in perspective how hard it is to win games in the NBA, but you can’t quit. You just have to do one rep at a time, knowing you’re getting better, and just keep getting better, and then, you know, you’re going to end up on a winning streak.”

It remains to be seen whether Larsson will get another start ahead of Burks if either Wiggins (hamstring) or Robinson (back) are ready to return for Monday’s visit to Washington. Neither traveled to Philadelphia to open the Heat’s three game roadie, and these are the types of injuries that require rest, leading teams to err on the side of caution instead of rushing players back to action.

Combined with Chicago’s 120-119 loss to Dallas, the Heat’s fourth consecutive win has them tied with the Bulls for the No. 9 seed in the East. The teams meet on April 9 at United Center. While few have any illusions about Miami going on the type of run from the play-in round that it was able to put together in reaching the 2023 NBA Finals as the No. 7 seed, getting rookies like Larsson and Ware as much postseason experience as possible is invaluable. Larsson’s breakout performance against the 76ers is proof he may be ready for a more defined role.

Heading into April, the Arizona product has surpassed Terry Rozier and Jaime Jaquez Jr. in Spoelstra’s rotation.

Tony Mejia is a contributor to Miami Heat On SI. He can be reached at tnyce1414@gmail.com