“It’s all the experiences that he had this summer, preparing for Summer League,” Spoelstra said to ClutchPoints after Thursday’s training camp session at Florida Atlantic University. “He was very diligent in June, competing in games in the Summer League and doing the training camp. His minutes were really good. That’s what I looked at. He was able to impact winning in the games that he played and the minutes that he played, and he also was stepping forward as a leader, being more vocal.”

“I think that’s kind of naturally his competitive personality,” Spoelstra continued. “And then, of course, if you do anything at that level, playing in Eurobasket, it’s equivalent to playoff level. It means that much to all those teams. I just always think it’s a great experience for American players or foreign players; those are amazing tournaments, very competitive.

Asked Erik Spoelstra about the benefits of Pelle Larsson playing overseas in the summer and how that can be translated into the NBA season with Miami: #HeatNation pic.twitter.com/NfdIAC4IIg

https://twitter.com/ZachWeinberger/status/1973862100750774359?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1973862100750774359%7Ctwgr%5Ebaf17672b8314d3f42ab9e0a70b875a6806e09ad%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fclutchpoints.com%2Fnba%2Fmiami-heat%2Fheat-news-erik-spoelstra-explains-how-pelle-larsson-took-a-step-forward-after-rookie-season

Larsson would say during Monday’s media day that he learned a lot from playing in EuroBasket, which was also a time in building a deeper connection with his head coach.

Heat’s Pelle Larsson on his experience in EuroBasket with Erik Spoelstra

With fans predicting which Heat player will break out this season, Larsson is determined to solidify a place in the rotation as he provides a defensive intensity that fits Spoelstra’s scheme, which also has some upside on offense. His game was shown during EuroBasket with Sweden, which gave Spoelstra the chance to make the trip and visit Larsson to hang out with his family.

“It just shows that he cares a lot about this team and his players that are on this team, and you want to be successful with the guys that are here,” Larsson said during Monday’s media day about Spoelstra watching him and meeting his family. “So it means a lot, and also means a lot for the Swedish Federation to have, like, a coach with championships and all that experience to come and show interest and then to get to know him.”

“It was great, like, I haven’t talked that much to him off the court, like during the whole season, because you just don’t have time,” Larsson continued. “So it was great to just have some real, person-to-person time.”

Full comments from Pelle Larsson about entering in his second season, his EuroBasket experience, and me asking about hanging out with Erik Spoelstra. #HeatNation pic.twitter.com/qHt8eC3FJn

https://twitter.com/ZachWeinberger/status/1972730197142098377?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1972730197142098377%7Ctwgr%5Ebaf17672b8314d3f42ab9e0a70b875a6806e09ad%7Ctwcon%5Es1_c10&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fclutchpoints.com%2Fnba%2Fmiami-heat%2Fheat-news-erik-spoelstra-explains-how-pelle-larsson-took-a-step-forward-after-rookie-season

At any rate, Larsson looks to make a jump in his second year in the NBA after playing in 55 games, where he averaged 4.6 points, 1.7 rebounds, and 1.2 assists per game while shooting 43.8 percent from the field and 33.7 percent from beyond the arc. The Arizona product will continue to improve in training camp before the preseason opener on Saturday in Puerto Rico against the Orlando Magic.