Miami adds a bonafide shooter with the selection of Larsson in the second round.
The Miami Heat returned to action on Thursday, selecting Pelle Larsson of the University of Arizona with the 43rd overall choice in their second round selection.
After the NBA Draft, Heat assistant general manager and vice president of basketball operations Adam Simon discussed Larsson in addition to himself, even joking that he has been a “player we’ve been watching for years.”
We have been following Pelle Larsson for a long time, Simon remarked. “We were really high on both of those men, Coach Lloyd and Keshad, with whom we worked closely in Arizona. And from what I can tell, Larsson is a well-rounded and adaptable player.
He has a little edge because of his large hands and 38-inch vertical grip. And given his versatility, clear shooting prowess, and defensive mentality, we assumed he would already be at home here.
As a result, when it came time for us to select, it was clear that he was the best player on our board. However, we had the chance to switch spots, and since we would have had to select 44 instead of 43, we decided to select them at that position.
The Heat selected big man Kel’el Ware in the first round, but they passed on Larsson in the second round.
Simon would go into detail about what made Larsson an appealing pick for Miami, citing him as “versatile.” Larsson brings not only dynamite shooting but also immense intensity on defense, which just screams a player the Heat would like on their team.
“I mean, it’s important to have that type of skill set where he can shoot, handle, rebound, come up with a deflection, and he steals. Like I said earlier, versatile player that really moves well, has some some quick twitch, some good elevation pop to his game. So it’s just a matter of developing his base of skill set.
And I think he’ll be able to fit in and lots of different roles,” Simon remarked. “Just the way he moves, he gets around the court easily.”
Larsson touts his tenacity which impressed the Heat
Larsson spent four seasons in college where the first was with Utah and the last three were part of the aforementioned Arizona squad where he showed his skills that impressed Miami.
Last season with the Wildcats, he 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 the three-point line as he told ClutchPoints what Heat fans should expect from him.
“I think I’ve shown the people in Tucson, Arizona just how hard I play for a team that’s on my jersey and the pride I have every time I step on a court,” Larsson said.
“Whatever the role might be, whatever the minutes I mean, I’m going to just do what’s best for the team and that’s what you’re going to see from me, a guy that can do a little bit of everything, shoot the ball really well and play really hard.”
“I had good conversations with them during the draft process,” Larsson when talking about speaking with the Heat.
“I went to work out there and it was a good time, I loved everybody was there taking care of me, I think most of all, the Heat just [has] very well rounded players and that have long careers and and they can do a lot of things and similar players to me, there are great shooters and and I’m just excited to implement that to my daily routines in my practice.”
Larsson will be formerly introduced along with the Heat’s first round pick in Ware Friday afternoon.
Miami is looking to improve after a 46-36 record which put them at the eighth seed for the second straight season.
Get related news on
sportchannel.co.uk
Leave a Reply