Despite an ankle injury that sidelined Pelle Larsson in recent weeks, the real question about Arizonaβs senior wing isnβt so much whether or not heβll play in the Wildcatsβ season opener Monday but whether heβll 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 ...
βIβm just trying to be on the floor as much as I can, as much as my conditioning allows me to play hard every time,β Larsson said. βSo whether itβs 30 minutes starting or 30 minutes off the bench, or 25 starting and 25 off bench, to me that doesnβt make that much of a difference. I know Iβm gonna help the team as much as I can when Iβm on the court.β
Thatβs the answer every coach wants to hear, of course. So maybe then letβs check in with UA coach Tommy Lloyd:
ββI mean, first up, I have to see if heβs available and where heβs at,β Lloyd said last week. βBefore we do anything like that, Iβm gonna kind of let that play out and then Iβll make the decision that I think itβs best for the team.β
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-12βs 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 βwas never going to do it if I didnβt say it was OK,β Larsson said on Jan. 26 at Washington State, after the Wildcats had won a third straight game with the new lineup. βAnd honestly, Iβve thought about it too, and to me, it doesnβt really matter. I just want to be out there as much as possible.
βIf it doesnβt affect that, then Iβm good with it. That was what our conversation was about.β
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. Hendersonβs 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.
βIβm gonna give Pelle Larsson a ton of credit,β Lloyd said at WSU. βThis wasnβt a reprimand or demotion. I just felt our bench needed something a little more consistent, and he gives us some versatility.
βIf this can help out both those guys and ultimately it helps out the team, I feel like it was the right decision.β
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 rΓ©sumΓ© β though he could return for an extra COVID-exception year in 2024-25 β 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.
βIβm more comfortable in the system than ever,β Larsson said. βPlaying for Tommy in this system, you get better within it every year. Iβm just more comfortable, and thatβs gonna come with a more aggressive mindset.β
Larsson said he has also found it βreally fun running the wing with Calebβ Love, the North Carolina transfer β and that Alabama transfer Jaden Bradley has picked up the Wildcatsβ system quickly.
βWe just make each other better in practices,β Larsson said. βAnd itβs really fun.β
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, Larssonβs presence would likely mean Bradley plays off the bench this time.
While Bradley has said heβll also βdo whatever it takes to win a national championship,β he is a former five-star recruit and McDonaldβs All-American who transferred from Alabama after former Arizona signee Jahvon Quinerly, of all people, replaced him in the starting lineup during last seasonβs 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.
βWeβve got so many different lineups we could go with,β Bradley said in September. βWe got some great guys, Kylan and Caleb and even Conrad (Martinez, Spanish freshman). We can all play so itβs gonna be interesting to see what lineup coach wants.β
So, what does the coach want?
βI donβt think thereβs really a wrong decision in this scenario,β Lloyd said. βWeβll make sure we do a great job... whoever doesnβt start is going to play as much as the starters and be a significant contributor.β