The Miami Heat should be excited about the continued development of Pelle Larsson heading into his sophomore season, but there could be some cause for concern regarding his loaded summer schedule. After participating in the summer league, Larsson is preparing to compete in EuroBasket 2025.
At some point, you have to wonder if fatigue could set in before the 2025-26 NBA regular season even arrives. If that does happen, it could have a huge impact on his sophomore campaign for the Heat.
While there’s an argument to be made that Larsson would benefit from all the reps he can get ahead of the regular season, at some point he does need to prepare his body – and mind – for the new year. I can’t help but wonder if this loaded offseason workload could end up having a negative impact on Larsson.
Larsson will have to earn his playing time for the Heat
On the other hand, with no guarantee that Larsson is going to play a huge role for the Heat this season, perhaps a loaded summer will help his development, where the regular season can’t.
Realistically speaking, it’s going to be difficult for Larsson to carve out consistent minutes for the Heat right off the bat. Even though he had some promising moments during his rookie season, Larsson still has a long way to go to prove that he should be playing over some of the other veterans on the roster.
That’s where the value of playing in the summer league and in the EuroBasket 2025 can have for such a young player. But burnout is a very real thing, and Larsson needs to be aware of it so early in his career.
The Larsson momentum continues
It’s understandable that he wants to play as much basketball as he can at this point in his development, but for the betterment of the Heat, they also must ensure these decisions make sense for both parties.
For now, I don’t envision there will be a big issue in Larsson getting his feet wet in EuroBasket 2025, but fatigue is certainly something to keep a close eye on as the start of training camp quickly approaches.
The Heat is hoping that year 2 will be a big one for Larsson. And if he can avoid potential fatigue, there’s no reason why he can’t have a truly breakout season for the Heat in his sophomore campaign.
