What clicked for Heat second-rounder Pelle Larsson midway through summer league?

Summer league was already almost over and Pelle Larsson was still searching for his rhythm on the court. But apparently all the Miami Heat’s second-round pick needed was a message from retired Heat icon Udonis Haslem.

When Haslem addressed the Heat’s summer league team at its Las Vegas hotel on July 16, Larsson said “it really hit home with me.”

“He was just saying, ‘Be the guy that they drafted you to be,’” Larsson recalled. “I’m not going to come in and be a star player for the team. So I might have two minutes. In those two minutes I’m on the court, I got to play my [butt] off and defend and rebound. That might be all I get to do, even if I don’t get a shot. I’m just locking into that mentality and just being a dog defensively and using my body to my limits because that’s probably what I’m going to get to do when I get to the real team.”

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Prior to Haslem’s speech to the Heat’s summer squad, Larsson was underwhelming with 7.5 points, four rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.8 steals per game while shooting 35.5 percent from the field and 2 of 10 (20 percent) from three-point range in his first four appearances during summer league.

After Haslem’s words, Larsson played like one of the Heat summer league team’s best players. He averaged 15.5 points, 3.5 rebounds, 4.3 assists and 1.3 steals per game while shooting 51.2 percent from the field and 6 of 13 (46.2 percent) on threes during his final four appearances, including his game-winning push shot in overtime of Monday’s Las Vegas Summer League championship contest.

Coincidence or not, Larsson appeared to find clarity in his role after Haslem spoke to the Heat’s summer team. Larsson felt that he “got sped up a little bit” during his first few summer league games before “finding the tempo I need to play at.”

“In the first couple of games, there’s always a natural tendency to press a little bit,” Heat summer league head coach Dan Bisaccio said. “Maybe a shot doesn’t fall here and there. But the thing about Pelle is he has never let it affect his play. Whether he’s making a a shot or missing a shot, he’s always right into the next play.

“I think one of the best things that’s been established for him is he has embraced his defensive role on that end, which is guarding everybody on the floor, guarding them 94 feet from the basket and then just being a defensive stopper. And then offensively from there, you can just see his skill set is starting to expand. He’s getting more confident in his ability to attack the paint and make plays for himself and also others. So we’re going to look for him to continue to find that confidence and continue to find his role.”

That’s not a role one would expect for Larsson after he shot an eye-opening 47 of 110 (42.7 percent) from three-point range as a senior at Arizona last season. But Larsson (6-6, 215 pounds) and the Heat believe he’s more than just a three-point shooter.

Other areas of Larsson’s game were on display during summer league, as he racked up 28 assists to 16 turnovers. He also contributed 12 steals and drew multiple charges in his eight summer league appearances.

“I think it could be a misconception if you just look at the stats and you see 40 percent from three,” said Larsson, who was selected by the Heat with the 44th overall pick in the second round of last month’s draft. “But if you actually watch film and look into the games, you can see that being a well-rounded defender on and off the ball is kind of my strength and just playing within the team. By playing within the team and playing with good players, they’re going to find you for open shots and you’re going to get advantages just from that.”

As one of the older prospects to be drafted this year, the 23-year-old Larsson enters the NBA with plenty of experience. He’s a four-year college player, but he also played professionally in his home country of Sweden before enrolling in college.

That grind just to get to the NBA instilled a work ethic in Larsson that Heat coaches took note of during summer league.

“He’s a tireless worker,” Bisaccio said. “He’s a great leader on the floor and he’s just got a really good disposition and he’s a man of his craft. Behind the scenes, he’s always trying to work on his shot. He’s always trying to find that new angle that he can give you, that extra detail on a pick and roll. So for him, I think a lot of that, he’s a perfectionist.”

Now that summer league is over, Larsson is headed back home to Sweden for the first time in a year to spend time with family and friends.

Larsson, who’s already signed to a three-year standard contract by the Heat that includes a $1.2 million salary for this upcoming season, will spend a few weeks in Sweden before traveling to Miami to continue preparing for his rookie NBA campaign.

“It’s definitely going to be a real good reset to see some people I haven’t seen in a long time,” Larsson said of the opportunity to go home before continuing his work with Heat coaches. “It’s definitely a good reset.”

ORLANDO ROBINSON TO JOIN KINGS

Former Heat center Orlando Robinson agreed to a one-year contract to join the Sacramento Kings, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported on Wednesday.

Robinson spent the first two seasons of his NBA career with the Heat after going undrafted out of Fresno State in 2022. Robinson spent last season on a standard contract with the Heat, but entered this summer on a non-guaranteed salary for next season before the Heat waived him on July 7.