Draymond Green
Getty
Draymond Green called out Miami Heat guard Pelle Larsson for his antics on a recent episode of his podcast, "The Draymond Green Show."
Miami Heat guard Pelle Larsson is quickly building a reputation as a dirty player across the NBA.
After causing technical fouls against both Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker and Sacramento Kings guard DeMar DeRozan, Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green addressed Larsson’s recent antics on his podcast, “The Draymond Green Show.”
“Pelle Larsson been in the mix a bit this week. Got into it with Booker, then got into it with Demar,” Green said. “My take on that is I’ve played a bunch of Europeans, they do little dirty stuff … There’s a lot of Europeans that do dirty stuff on the basketball court. For D-Book and Demar to get mad like that, he’s (Pelle Larsson) doing something we ain’t see.”
“To his credit, he got a tech on D Book and Demar thrown out,” Green continued. “If you’re going to keep doing that, you’ve got to stay on that because people will start coming at you, and that comes with a reputation. I don’t know Pelle Larsson to be that guy, but if that’s who he’s going to be, commit and stay there because guys will start going at you like that.”
Throughout the Heat’s season, Larsson has consistently been the player who is willing to do “the dirty work.” There’s even an X account dedicated to Larsson’s hard play called “Did Pelle Get Hit in the Face Today?”
However, it’s not just the little things he brings to the Heat. The team has won four consecutive games when he scores 16 or more points, and on the season, he’s averaging 9.5 points, 3.2 assists and 2.9 rebounds per game.
The Heat have a 14-9 record when Larsson starts this season. When he either doesn’t play or comes off the bench, the Heat are 9-12.
Miami Heat’s Pelle Larsson Reacts to his Altercation With DeMar DeRozan
Pelle Larsson and DeMar DeRozan
GettyPelle Larsson and DeMar DeRozan got into multiple altercations during the game between the Miami Heat and the Sacramento Kings.
The fight between Pelle Larsson and DeMar DeRozan led to DeRozan being kicked out of the game.
He went up to block Larsson’s shot before winding up and hitting Larsson in the side of the head with his arm. It was their second altercation of the game. The two then exchanged words after the fact, with DeRozan seemingly telling Larsson to “do something.”
“I didn’t say anything, I didn’t start anything,” Larsson said after the game. “All I said was what he said to me back to him. It was just basketball.”
Larsson finished the game with 16 points on 7-9 shooting, to go along with 9 assists and 6 rebounds.
Will Pelle Larsson Keep up his Antics Throughout the Season?
Pelle Larsson has now forced two technical fouls on All-Stars in five games. So will he continue to act as a pest for opponents?
The Miami Heat are in the midst of a five game west coast trip. They still play the Portland Trail Blazers, Utah Jazz and Phoenix Suns before heading back to the Kaseya Center.
Don’t be surprised if Larsson is back in the news for getting in the middle of an altercation, not just on the Heat’s road trip, but throughout the rest of the season.