Before guard Pelle Larsson became a hero for the Miami Heat in Summer League, he received some motivational words from none other than Heat legend Udonis Haslem.
On July 16, Haslem addressed Miami’s Summer League team, and Larsson – the No. 44 overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft – said the three-time champion’s words “really hit home with me.”
“He was just saying, ‘Be the guy that they drafted you to be,’” Larsson said. “I’m not going to come in and be a star player for the team. So I might have two minutes. In those two minutes I’m on the court, I got to play my [butt] off and defend and rebound. That might be all I get to do, even if I don’t get a shot. I’m just locking into that mentality and just being a dog defensively and using my body to my limits because that’s probably what I’m going to get to do when I get to the real team.”
Larsson turned his performance during the summer around following Haslem’s speech, averaging 15.5 points, 3.5 rebounds, 4.3 assists and 1.3 steals per game while shooting 51.2 percent from the field and 46.2 percent from beyond the arc over the course of his final four games.
It was a huge shift from the first four games this summer for Larsson where he shot just 35.5 percent from the field and 20.0 percent from 3 while averaging 7.5 points per game. The second-round pick clearly found a new gear after Haslem addressed the squad.
The development of Larsson’s game over a short time in the summer culminated with his game-winning shot to beat the Memphis Grizzlies for the Summer League title in Las Vegas.
Pelle Larsson game-winner 🔥 pic.twitter.com/MmFpaXqGMx
— Heat Nation (@HeatNationCom) July 23, 2024
Larsson finished that game with 16 points (7-for-9 shooting from the field, 1-for-2 from 3), three rebounds, four assists, one steal and one block in the win. He was one of five Heat players to score in double figures, as Josh Christopher (24 points), Kel’el Ware (21 points), Cole Swider (19 points) and Alondes Williams (21 points) also played major roles for Miami.
The Heat clearly think highly of Larsson, as they signed him to a three-year standard contract this offseason.
Coming off a terrific senior season at the University of Arizona, Larsson is on a mission to show that he’s more than just a scorer in the NBA.
“I think it could be a misconception if you just look at the stats and you see 40 percent from three,” Larsson said. “But if you actually watch film and look into the games, you can see that being a well-rounded defender on and off the ball is kind of my strength and just playing within the team. By playing within the team and playing with good players, they’re going to find you for open shots and you’re going to get advantages just from that.”
During the 2023-24 season, Larsson averaged 12.8 points, 4.1 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game while shooting 51.9 percent from the field and 42.6 percent from beyond the arc.
The Heat have dealt with injuries at the guard position in recent seasons, especially with both Tyler Herro and Terry Rozier going down at points in the 2023-24 campaign. If that happens again, there’s a chance Larsson could earn a real role with the Heat – especially if he continues to follow Haslem’s advice.
