As the Miami Heat put the finishing touches on their roster construction for the upcoming season, four positions in the starting lineup are firmly locked in stone. With Davion Mitchell orchestrating the backcourt, Andrew Wiggins locking down the wing, and a terrifying frontcourt pairing of Giannis Antetokounmpo and Bam Adebayo holding down the interior, only one major question remains: Who claims the final starting shooting guard spot?
A compelling three-player race has emerged between veteran sniper Tim Hardaway Jr., four-time NBA champion Klay Thompson, and rising second-year talent Pelle Larsson. While Hardaway and Thompson bring elite, pedigree-backed three-point shooting to a team desperately needing floor-spacing, Larsson is using the international stage to send an unmistakable message to the coaching staff that the job should be his.
International Dominance and Developing Form
While the traditional argument against Larsson centers on his developing perimeter shot—having converted 33.7 percent as a rookie and 32.3 percent last year—his recent exploits with the Swedish national team during the 2027 FIBA World Cup qualifiers suggest those concerns may soon be put to rest.
In a standout performance, Larsson exploded for 31 points to lead Sweden to a crucial victory over Finland away from home. More importantly than the raw point total was how he scored. The tape reveals the exact same high-efficiency looks he will receive in Miami: slashing hard in transition, cutting off the ball while defensive attention fixes on Antetokounmpo and Adebayo, and confidently burying spot-up jumpers.
His form in Europe indicates that his handle is tighter, his finishing is more polished, and his shooting stroke looks significantly more rhythmic. If he can hover around 35 percent from deep this season, the justification for keeping him on the bench evaporates.
The All-Around Advantage
The fundamental reason this training camp battle is tilting toward Larsson is that he is, by a wide margin, the most complete all-around basketball player of the trio.
During the 2025-26 NBA campaign, Larsson averaged 11.4 points and 3.4 assists in 26.4 minutes per game, translating to a stellar 15.6 points and 4.6 assists per 36 minutes while committing a meager 2.0 turnovers. To put that playmaking into perspective, only Mitchell averaged more assists among Miami’s perimeter players, whereas Hardaway and Thompson combined averaged just 4.8 assists per 36 minutes.
Furthermore, Larsson is an elite, dynamic slasher. He averaged 8.9 drives per 36 minutes last year, converting an incredible 53.5 percent of those attempts. By comparison, Hardaway and Thompson combined for just 5.8 drives per 36 minutes—meaning Larsson single-handedly out-penetrated both veteran marksmen combined.
Defensive Dominance Sets Him Apart
While scoring and playmaking form a strong foundation, defense is where Larsson truly separates himself from his veteran competitors. Miami prides itself on defensive grit, and Larsson fits that ethos to perfection.
According to metrics from Basketball Index, Larsson ranked in the 94th percentile in perimeter isolation defense, the 69th percentile in rim deterrence, and the 92nd percentile in matchup difficulty last season. Conversely, Hardaway and Thompson lagged far behind, with Hardaway ranking in the 27th percentile in isolation defense and Thompson plummeting into the 1st percentile in rim deterrence.
The Heat possess plenty of floor-spacing with Mitchell and Wiggins in the backcourt, meaning they do not necessarily need a one-dimensional shooter on the floor at all times. What they need is balance, high-IQ off-ball movement—where Larsson ranked in the 75th percentile—and elite defensive versatility.
Though Hardaway and Thompson carry major name recognition and historical shooting gravity, Pelle Larsson’s transcendent all-around game and surging international form make him impossible to ignore. If he continues this trajectory, the final starting spot in Miami is his to lose.
