Miami Heat second round pick Pelle Larsson had an impressive showcase during the Summer League where he showed that the team could be right once again for having an eye for talent. However, there was an important lesson that he learned from one of the Heat's legends in Udonis Haslem, who currently has a front office position, as he spoke to the Summer League team in saying to embrace the role they are in according to Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald.
“He was just saying, ‘Be the guy that they drafted you to be,’” Larsson said about what Haslem told the team. “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 speaks on his strengths after Heat wins Summer League title
Larsson has done that 100 percent during the stint in Las Vegas where he has shown his talents on offense and especially on the defensive end. Even the Swedish-born player would say that he is a “well-rounded defender on and off the ball” which was praised by Miami assistant general manager Adam Simon and others within the organization.
“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.”
Heat Summer League coach calls Larsson a “tireless worker”
The University of Arizona product was selected with the 44th overall pick in last month's NBA Draft and has already made an impact, even scoring the game-winning shot leading the Heat to victory in the Summer League final. He would also score 16 points as Miami's Summer League head coach in Dan Bisaccio spoke highly of how he is a “tireless worker” and how he has “embraced his defensive role.”
“I think one of the best things that’s been established for him is he has embraced his defensive role on that end,” Bisaccio said. “Which is guarding everybody on the floor, guarding them 94 feet from the basket and then just being a defensive stopper. And then offensively from there, you can just see his skill set is starting to expand. He’s getting more confident in his ability to attack the paint and make plays for himself and also others. So we’re going to look for him to continue to find that confidence and continue to find his role.”
Now, Larsson gets to reset before ramping up for the upcoming season as he hopes to make an immediate impact with the main roster. The Heat are looking to improve after finishing with the eighth seed for the second straight season and having a 46-36 record as they were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs by the Boston Celtics.
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