In a game where his team was missing several critical rotation players, (Kel’el Ware, Andrew Wiggins, Nikola Jovic, Jaime Jaquez Jr. and Davion Mitchell), Miami Heat rookie Pelle Larsson got a shot at some real playing time.
He ended up setting a new career high in points (16) and assists (5), while also snagging four rebounds.
The Heat outscored the Wizards by 13 in the 27 and a half minutes that Larsson was on the floor.
Before flashing the scoring and passing skills, however, he showed the impact he brings on a game-to-game basis, doing the ‘things that don’t show up on the box score.
He does a little bit of everything.
“Just gotta always be ready, and that’s what we did, big shoutout to Pelle.” Heat veteran Terry Rozier said about Larsson.
After being asked about Larsson, Rozier said: “Just always staying ready man, he work hard. I think we was just playing 2-on-2 last week, him, Jaime and H, so just putting the grind in, just ready for his time, and then his time came. That’s what it’s all about.”
When asked about how he feels about where his career stands compared to when he was first taken as the 44th pick, Larsson said: “Going into it, I didn’t really know what to expect, so I didn’t really set a target like that, but I know that I was just very willing to learn and ready for the experience, I wanna experience what it’s like to be on a high-level NBA team, and I think we’re heading in that direction.”
When asked if Pelle Larsson is ahead of schedule, Spoelstra said: “Really encouraged about that, he understands what his role is. He came in as an elite role player in college.” … “Some people view that as a negative, we view that as a real positive and somebody that has upside still. He’s tenacious.”
Afterwards, Larsson was asked if Spoelstra’s postgame comments referring to him as an elite role player bothered him, Larsson replied: “I don’t care.” … “I think you could be a great player and still play a role. You got however many guys, so everyone’s gonna have a role, so, whatever.”