Arizona Basketball: Pelle Larsson may surprise many in 2022-23

We are still months away from the 2022-23 Arizona Basketball season, but one player that could be poised to make a big jump is Pelle Larsson. 

Over the past couple of months, we’ve seen a bit of turnover with the Arizona Basketball roster. As we all know, Tommy Lloyd and the Cats lost Bennedict Mathurin, Dalen Terry, and Christian Koloko to the NBA Draft.

But beyond that, Justin Kier graduated and Shane Nowell has since transferred from Arizona to UNLV.

Luckily, Arizona went to quick work adding several solid pieces for 2022-23 that include Kylan Boswell, Courtney Ramey, Cedric Henderson Jr., and Henri Veesaar among others.

The Wildcats also return a few crucial pieces for this coming season, namely Azuolas Tubelis, Kerr Kriisa, and Pelle Larsson.

While a few players should emerge as the leaders and key pieces for Arizona Basketball early on, one player that stands to make a big jump is Pelle Larsson.

Coming to Tucson as a highly-touted transfer from Utah, Pelle showed glimpses last season, en route to becoming a key role player and contributor for the Wildcats.

And as we head into the 2022-23 season, Larsson should see an increased role with the Wildcats.

Luckily, he has been staying busy this summer making preparations for the upcoming season. And as we all saw, Pelle played some competitive basketball in the European FIBA Qualifying Tournament just a few weeks ago.

Competing against NBA Superstar Luka Dončić for the Swedish National Team, Pelle held his own, finishing his day with a respectable seven points and four rebounds.

Larsson would have an opportunity near the end of that game to be the hero as he attempted a game-winning three. Unfortunately, he would miss and Slovenia would escape with the narrow 84-81 win.

Now, while that game alone won’t mean he will suddenly be more productive; however, competing at that high level and training with the Swedish National team should do wonders.

Plus, we will see a healthier Pelle from the start of the season. Remember, Larsson battled a foot injury early on, and likely wasn’t 100 percent until later into the year.

With an extra year of development, Pelle could make a significant jump in 2022-23 and should be one of the Wildcats’ better players, especially if he finds a more consistent jumpsuit.

Either way, we are excited to see what Larsson can do this coming season! Here’s just a small reminder of how good he can be!