After the Miami Heat drafted former Oregon and Indiana center Kel’el Ware with the No. 15 pick in the 2024 NBA Draft, the Heat drafted Arizona guard Pelle Larsson with the No. 44 pick in the second round plus added a slew of undrafted free agents, including Arizona forward Keshad Johnson.
Recently speaking with Miami Heat insider and reporter Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald, third-year Arizona head coach Tommy Lloyd voiced optimism about both of their fits with #HeatCulture™.
“I think one of the things that makes them impressive prospects is they’re both wired and willing to be great role players,” Lloyd recently told Chiang. “You know, 100 percent of their focus is going to be contributing to the team’s overall success. These aren’t like shoot first, ask questions later type of guys. So they’re going to give you a well-rounded effort on both ends of the floor. On offense, they’re going to play their role and stay in their lane. Then defensively and in all the effort areas, they’re going to max that stuff out.”
Both Larsson and Johnson were key contributors to the Heat’s 8-1 record in Summer League, including an undefeated 6-0 record in the NBA 2K25 Las Vegas Summer League that netted them their first-ever Summer League title game!
Larsson’s shooting touch got off to a rough start in San Francisco, Calif., though the 6-foot-6 guard averaged 10.2 points with 3.3 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 1.3 steals in nine combined games on 44.4/36.4/69.0 shooting splits. Over his final four games, he averaged 15.5 points on 51.2 percent shooting and 41.7 percent from 3-point range (5-12), including a 16-point performance in the Summer League title that featured him making the game-winning basket in overtime!
Throughout the Summer, Larsson, 23, displayed excellent feel and intuition both offensively and defensively. With the ball in his hands, the 6-foot-5 guard wasn’t afraid to take defenders off-the-bounce and was consistently on-balance (by the end) playing through contact. He made the proper reads and threw well-timed, accurate passes as a secondary playmaker. I also appreciated how he moved off-ball; he knows where to be at all times.
Defensively, Larsson consistently picked up 94 feet and hounded opposing team’s ballhandlers. Yeah, you’re going to fit right into Miami if you do that from the jump. He did an amicable job generating deflections plus stunting-and-recovering off-ball.
Speaking of defense: That’s where Keshad Johnson made his magic. Seeing it on his college tape from San Diego State and Arizona is one thing, but Johnson oftentimes was in multiple places at once on an NBA court.
His summer was cut short due to a sprained ankle, missing the team’s final three games. Though the 6-foot-7 burly forward posted 11.7 points, 5.2 rebounds, 1.5 steals and one block in 25.4 minutes across six combined SL contests. Johnson’s shooting also impressed, albeit in a smaller sample. He canned 38.9 percent of his 3-point attempts (7-18) while featuring a smooth elbow pull-up jumper.
He flashed everything–his defensive capabilities, shooting improvement, hustle on the glass and on loose balls–that he needed to, even in a limited sample.
Some players are just “Summer League” players who aren’t able to have prolonged NBA careers. However, at this stage, I don’t believe that will be Larsson or Johnson, even if they don’t contribute significantly as rookies. Both exuded #HeatCulture™ and looked like players who will only continue to thrive under head coach Erik Spoelstra and this top-tier developmental staff.
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The Heat has a few possible diamonds in the rough this season. It will be interesting to see how they progress from training camp, through the pre-season, regular season (and G League).
I definitely like Pelle, Keshad, and Christopher. I look forward to seeing all 3 get some limited minutes.