Larsson Earns His Minutes By Not Wasting Them

By the Heat Nightly Desk · Monday, October 5

Pelle Larsson posted a 60.5% true shooting mark and a plus-2.4 net rating last season on just 16.5% usage, numbers that outstrip his modest counting stats. He opens 2026-27 healthy and in a reshaped backcourt that now includes Giannis Antetokounmpo, with no argument for his role to shrink.

Pelle Larsson of the Heat — Pelle Larsson. Photo: TigerNet.com, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Role Now

Pelle Larsson enters his third season folded into a very different backcourt. Giannis Antetokounmpo's debut reshapes shot allocation for every Heat guard, and Larsson's answer in the preseason opener was a 13-point night in Miami's 129-105 win at Toronto on October 3. He is not listed on the injury report. The job stays the same: run the offense in bursts, guard multiple spots, and stay out of the way of better shooters.

Last Season

Larsson played 70 games last season, averaging 11.4 points, 3.5 rebounds and 3.4 assists in 26.4 minutes. The shooting split tells the real story: 49.6% from the field, 32.3% from three on only 2.7 attempts a game, and 79.7% at the line. Modest volume, clean mechanics.

Advanced Numbers

The efficiency metrics back it up. Larsson posted a 60.5% true shooting mark and a plus-2.4 net rating last season, built on just 16.5% usage. His assist rate sat at 16.3%, his rebound rate at 6.2% — a low-cost, low-mistake profile suited to playing next to ball-dominant teammates.

Contract

Miami controls him cheaply for now: $2.3 million in 2026-27, then a $13.4 million team option in 2027-28 before raises to $14.5 million, $15.5 million and $16.6 million. The option year is the decision point, and his efficiency numbers make the case to exercise it.

Bottom Line

Larsson does not need to shoot more to matter. He needs to keep shooting clean after Antetokounmpo and Bam Adebayo draw the extra attention, and to make the right read when the ball finds him in the gaps. That version of Larsson was worth his minutes last season. Nothing about the roster change argues for less of him.

What is Pelle Larsson's role on the 2026-27 Heat?

He projects as a low-usage, high-efficiency guard who defends multiple positions and facilitates in spurts, now playing alongside Giannis Antetokounmpo and Bam Adebayo.

How many points did Larsson score in the preseason opener?

He scored 13 points in Miami's 129-105 preseason-opening win at Toronto on October 3.