Whether starting or coming off bench, Pelle Larsson plans to stay aggressive

Despite an ankle injury that sidelined Pelle Larsson in recent weeks, the real question about Arizona’s senior wing isn’t so much whether or not he’ll play in the Wildcats’ season opener Monday but whether he’ll start or play off the bench in the long run.

For that, it might be best to just check in with him. After all, Larsson is the guy who signed off moving to the bench midway through last season.

So ...

“I’m just trying to be on the floor as much as I can, as much as my conditioning allows me to play hard every time,” Larsson said. “So whether it’s 30 minutes starting or 30 minutes off the bench, or 25 starting and 25 off bench, to me that doesn’t make that much of a difference. I know I’m gonna help the team as much as I can when I’m on the court.”

That’s the answer every coach wants to hear, of course. So maybe then let’s check in with UA coach Tommy Lloyd:

“‘I mean, first up, I have to see if he’s available and where he’s at,” Lloyd said last week. “Before we do anything like that, I’m gonna kind of let that play out and then I’ll make the decision that I think it’s best for the team.”

Mm-hmm. OK.

Two seasons ago, Larsson playing off the bench was a must for the Wildcats, and it worked out pretty well for them. The starters, Bennedict Mathurin and Dalen Terry, were playing their way into the first round of the 2022 NBA Draft, while Larsson won the Pac-12’s Sixth Man of the Year award.

Last year, it worked out pretty well for the Wildcats, too. Larsson began the season in the starting lineup, but partly because fifth-year senior Cedric Henderson was more comfortable starting after doing so at low-major Campbell, Larsson approved a move to the bench midway through last season.

Lloyd “was never going to do it if I didn’t say it was OK,” Larsson said on Jan. 26 at Washington State, after the Wildcats had won a third straight game with the new lineup. “And honestly, I’ve thought about it too, and to me, it doesn’t really matter. I just want to be out there as much as possible.

“If it doesn’t affect that, then I’m good with it. That was what our conversation was about.”

The Wildcats beat WSU that night, avenging an embarrassing 13-point home loss to the Cougars, then won another four straight games with the new configuration. Henderson’s confidence and production rose, while Larsson also appeared comfortable not having to worry about picking up fouls in the early minutes, watching games develop before he jumped in at the first media timeout.

“I’m gonna give Pelle Larsson a ton of credit,” Lloyd said at WSU. “This wasn’t a reprimand or demotion. I just felt our bench needed something a little more consistent, and he gives us some versatility.

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“If this can help out both those guys and ultimately it helps out the team, I feel like it was the right decision.”

The decision is different this time, and signs now point to Larsson starting for good. Having briefly tested the NBA Draft last spring, Larsson is a senior with possibly a final chance to add to his résumé — though he could return for an extra COVID-exception year in 2024-25 — by producing as a starter and helping the Wildcats win a Pac-12 title and/or go deep in the NCAA Tournament.

Larsson said at Pac-12 media day that he is taking a different approach this season, his third under Lloyd after transferring from Utah following his freshman season in 2020-21.

“I’m more comfortable in the system than ever,” Larsson said. “Playing for Tommy in this system, you get better within it every year. I’m just more comfortable, and that’s gonna come with a more aggressive mindset.”

Larsson said he has also found it “really fun running the wing with Caleb” Love, the North Carolina transfer — and that Alabama transfer Jaden Bradley has picked up the Wildcats’ system quickly.

“We just make each other better in practices,” Larsson said. “And it’s really fun.”

But in games, only five guys can start, and usually two of them are post players. So, with Love and sophomore guard Kylan Boswell appearing locked into the starting lineup, Larsson’s presence would likely mean Bradley plays off the bench this time.

While Bradley has said he’ll also “do whatever it takes to win a national championship,” he is a former five-star recruit and McDonald’s All-American who transferred from Alabama after former Arizona signee Jahvon Quinerly, of all people, replaced him in the starting lineup during last season’s SEC Tournament.

But Bradley might play along with Boswell, Love and Larsson in a small-ball lineup or wind up playing significant minutes as Lloyd mixes and matches what appears to be his deepest and most versatile lineup in three seasons with the Wildcats.

“We’ve got so many different lineups we could go with,” Bradley said in September. “We got some great guys, Kylan and Caleb and even Conrad (Martinez, Spanish freshman). We can all play so it’s gonna be interesting to see what lineup coach wants.”

So, what does the coach want?

“I don’t think there’s really a wrong decision in this scenario,” Lloyd said. “We’ll make sure we do a great job... whoever doesn’t start is going to play as much as the starters and be a significant contributor.”