Heat rookie Pelle Larsson flashes hidden talent in team’s recent win

Miami Heat v Chicago Bulls

 

Three observations from the Miami Heat’s 106-90 win over the Washington Wizards Monday night at Kaseya Center.

1. Duncan Robinson starting and stopping

It’s been established that Robinson can do more than shoot 3s, but his off-the-dribble game has steadily improved over the last two seasons. This was a nice stop-and-start move coming off a double-drag screen. Erik Spoelstra couldn’t always run plays like this for Dunc.

2. Point Pelle is fun!

Rookie Pelle Larsson gave the Heat a boost in the second quarter, when he helped lead a 23-12 period. I wasn’t expecting his passing to be featured in this one, but he finished with five assists. Here he is running a pick-and-roll with Bam Adebayo.

And here’s his best pass of the night: A cross-court slingshot to Robinson.

Larsson makes simple reads and simple passes but has a knack for knowing who should get the ball and when. His playmaking is something to monitor.

3. Kyle Anderson zoning up

With so many players sidelined, Spoelstra was forced to get creative. He started Adebayo and Kevin Love, then had Kyle Anderson check in as the backup center. Anderson played well and stuffed the box score with a little bit of everything: Four points, three rebounds, five assists, three steals and two blocks in 25 minutes.

Anderson was asked to anchor a zone defense, something Spoelstra admitted he wasn’t sure if Anderson had ever done before. Could have fooled me. He looked comfortable sizing up Washington’s drivers, boxing out and chasing down blocks.

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