Inside The Heat

Pelle Larsson Stars Again As Sweden Loses, But Advances

Ethan J. Skolnick|
Apr 7, 2025; Miami, Florida, USA; Miami Heat guard Pelle Larsson (9) dribbles the basketball as Philadelphia 76ers guard Quentin Grimes (5) defends during the second quarter at Kaseya Center. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images
Apr 7, 2025; Miami, Florida, USA; Miami Heat guard Pelle Larsson (9) dribbles the basketball as Philadelphia 76ers guard Quentin Grimes (5) defends during the second quarter at Kaseya Center. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images | Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

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Miami Heat

Nikola Jovic isn't the only recent Miami Heat draft pick who has stood out this offseason.

Pelle Larsson, who had a strong summer league in Las Vegas, has led his Sweden out of the Group stage in EuroBasket 2025.

Larsson scored 18 points in a loss to Jonas Valanciunas and Lithuania, but other results allowed Sweden to advance anyway. Next, in the knockout round, Larsson will face the winner between Serbia and Turkey, which means a possible matchup with Jovic, who has been starting for Serbia and has an increased role with Bogdan Bogdanovich sidelined.

Larsson doesn't have any NBA players with him on the Swedish team, so it has relied on him -- much as the Heat's summer league squad did -- to score more than he did during his appearances as a rookie for the Heat last season.

He projects as a rotation player for the Heat this season, but may get some late-game clutch reps if he can continue to draw contact and finish on his drives, as he has shown in EuroBasket -- and can also make open three-point shots. The defensive aggression has been there, and he would seemingly fit comfortably next to Tyler Herro or Norman Powell.

It's been a while (think Josh Richardson in 2015 and Mario Chalmers in 2008) since the Heat have really hit on a second-round selection. These additional games should do nothing but help Larsson's confidence, and the Heat's confidence in him.

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Ethan J. Skolnick
ETHAN J. SKOLNICK

Ethan has covered all major sports -- in South Florida and beyond -- since 1996 and is one of the longest-tenured fully credentialed members of the Miami Heat. He has covered, in total, more than 30 NBA Finals, Super Bowls, World Series and Stanley Cup Finals. After working full-time for the Miami Herald, South Florida Sun-Sentinel, Palm Beach Post, Bleacher Report and several other outlets, he founded the Five Reasons Sports Network in 2019 and began hosting the Five on the Floor podcast as part of that network. The podcast is regularly among the most downloaded one-team focused NBA podcasts in the nation, and the network is the largest independent sports outlet in South Florida, by views, listens and social media reach. He has a B.A. from The Johns Hopkins University and an M.S. from Columbia University. TWITTER: @EthanJSkolnick and @5ReasonsSports EMAIL: fllscribe@gmail.com

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