Trendon Watford #12 of the Philadelphia 76ers scrambles for the ball against Pelle Larsson #9 of the Miami Heat during the second quarter at Xfinity Mobile Arena on November 23, 2025 in Philadelphia. Isaiah Vazquez Getty Images
Miami Heat second-year guard Pelle Larsson knows his role in the starting lineup.
“Just be glue,” Larsson said. “Like, do a little bit of everything that needs to be done. And just play the right way within our system so that other guys like [Norman Powell] are able to get to their spots and create.”
While starting in 15 consecutive games, Larsson enters Wednesday’s matchup against the Milwaukee Bucks (7:30 p.m., FanDuel Sports Network Sun) at Kaseya Center averaging 11.6 points, 3.3 rebounds and 4.3 assists per game while shooting 48% from the field and 34.5% from three-point range during this stretch as a starter. He has also posted a quality plus/minus of plus-33 to help the Heat go 10-5 in this 15-game span.
“He’s a connector on both ends of the court,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said of Larsson. “Defensively, he does a lot of things, intangibles, winning plays. But offensively, he can play off of your best players. But he’s also growing in confidence. He’s one of our better catch-and-go drivers, attackers. He fills in a lot of gaps. I think that’s a skill, to be able to play off of other guys and be able to complement them and find ways to do that.”
Miami Heat guard Pelle Larsson (9) dribbles around New York Knicks guard Landry Shamet (44) during the first half of a game on Nov. 17, 2025, at Kaseya Center in Miami. Alie Skowronski askowronski@miamiherald.com
But Larsson’s elite NBA skill might be his willingness to take one for the team, as his knack for taking shots to the face has led to the creation of a viral account on X with the handle of “@DidPelleGetHit?” that charts how often Larsson is hit in the face.
“Somebody should chart how many times he’s been hit in his face with an elbow or something,” Spoelstra said with a laugh. “I mean they chart everything, right? They’ve got to chart that somewhere. He’s definitely leading the team on that.”
One category that Larsson is definitely leading the Heat in is charges drawn, as he enters Wednesday’s game with a team-high six charges taken this season. Heat guard Davion Mitchell ranks second with three drawn charges.
Larsson is tied with New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson and Portland Trail Blazers forward Toumani Camara for the second-most charges drawn in the NBA this season. Only Golden State Warriors guard Brandin Podziemski has taken more charges than Larsson this season with seven.
Larsson’s six drawn charges in 18 games this season is a big improvement from the two charges he took in 55 games as a rookie last season.
“I think it’s hard to draw them as a rookie,” Larsson, 24, said of his uptick in charges drawn this season. “And then also, it’s different in college from the NBA, how they call it. So, I just had to get used to it a little bit. But since I got to the U.S. in college in Utah, they love that stuff. And I brought that to Arizona and now here. So, I mean, it’s better than even a steal because they get a foul, too. So, I just love that play.”
How painful is it, though?
“The charges, when you’re prepared for it, it’s not as bad,” said Larsson, who was selected by the Heat in the second round of last year’s draft. “But it’s the random elbows to the face and stuff when you’re battling in the post with a bigger dude or a rebound or something. Those kind of hurt, but they pass.”
The pain passes, but the strong impression Larsson is leaving on his Heat coaches and teammates remains.
“I love it,” Spoelstra continued on Larsson. “I want somebody to chart it. I don’t want to get our video room charting more things. They’re charting everything in the world, but I want to see how many times he gets hit in the face per game. That’s got to be number one in the league. He puts himself out there. He just does so many winning things. He’s a tough player. We love what he’s doing.”