Pelle Larsson
Larsson is a bench wing for Miami to open 2026-27, and he has been a first-off-the-bench rotation piece in the first three games.
Role
The Heat opened the season 0-2 and then lost to Charlotte. Eurohoops had Larsson coming off the bench and playing 29 minutes against Detroit (7 points on 1-of-7 shooting). Ira Winderman's notes on the Hornets game (Yahoo, about 25 October) say he was first off the bench and sparked a comeback. That unit was Adebayo, Portis, Larsson, Hardaway and Mitchell, with Giannis on the bench. Winderman also says the same initial nine-man rotation has been used in all three games. The 25 October Hornets game has already been played, so the wire note about Saturday is stale. I did not find a published starting five or minutes tracker to cite for the Hornets game. Preseason depth charts (ESPN via Last Word on Sports and Yahoo, early September) had Wiggins starting at small forward with Klay Thompson second and Larsson third. Competition for his minutes comes from Wiggins, Thompson, Hardaway, Jovic and Fontecchio. The finger issue was not covered in anything I found beyond the wire note.
He was a regular starter last season (54 starts, 26.4 minutes, 11.4 points per game, per Fox Sports and CBS), and the Heat extended him in September for four years and $60 million (Rotowire via CBS). Winderman credited him with sparking the Hornets comeback. Miami's bench has struggled to create offense when Mitchell or Giannis sit (SI, Oct 24), and Larsson's connective passing and defense fit that gap. Wiggins and Jovic have fallen out of some lineups (Winderman), which could open a starting or closing role.
Miami's new roster is crowded on the wing and backcourt: Wiggins, Thompson, Hardaway, Mitchell, Jovic and Fontecchio. Preseason depth charts put him third at small forward. Last season's reporting says his shooting was much worse off the bench (.379 FG as a reserve versus .509 as a starter, per Yahoo). That fits his 1-of-7 night against Detroit. Much of last season's starter-level work came when Powell, Herro and Mitchell were out, and Powell and Herro are no longer on the roster. The Heat are 0-3, so Spoelstra could reshuffle.
Where analysts split
Whether Larsson stays the first wing off the bench or moves into the starting five or a fixed closing role. Preseason projections had him as a third-string small forward. Early beat coverage has him ahead of Wiggins and Jovic in at least one game, and no one I found has said whether that lasts.
Research confidence: reported. Outlooks are grounded in web search over current reporting and refreshed through the season.
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