One of the early-season bright spots for Heat: the play of second-round pick Pelle Larsson

First, rookie guard Pelle Larsson needed to earn the trust of his new Miami Heat coaches and teammates. Now that Larsson has their trust, he’s earning the opportunity to be on the court for important moments early in his NBA career.

After playing just six minutes through the Heat’s first four games this season, Larsson entered Wednesday’s matchup against the Phoenix Suns at Footprint Center having logged double-digit minutes in back-to-back games. He received the first extended regular-season playing time of his NBA career when he played 13:38 off the bench in Saturday’s win over the Washington Wizards in Mexico City and followed that up by playing 25:22 in Monday’s loss to the Sacramento Kings at Kaseya Center.

But the most telling aspect of this early-season opportunity for Larsson: Heat coach Erik Spoelstra had enough faith in Larsson to play him for the final 6:58 of Monday’s one-point loss to the Kings just months after he was selected with the 44th overall pick in the second round of this year’s draft.

“It doesn’t shock me at all,” Heat center Bam Adebayo said when asked if he was surprised that Larsson was on the court for so many fourth-quarter minutes against the Kings. “Very quiet, but he plays the right way. He makes extra efforts, he does the little things that don’t show up on the stat sheet.”

That reliable and well-rounded skill set has made Larsson a useful complementary piece for nearly any Heat lineup. At 6-foot-5 and 215 pounds, he has the ability to serve as a physical and pesky perimeter defender while also making an impact on the offensive end without needing the ball in his hands or plays run for him.

Larsson’s solid two-way game was on display Monday, as he totaled 13 points on 4-of-6 shooting from the field, 3-of-5 shooting on threes and 2-of-3 shooting from the foul line, two rebounds, two assists and one steal in 25 minutes off the Heat’s bench against the Kings. Miami outscored Sacramento by two points with Larsson on the court.

Larsson was efficient with his opportunities on the offensive end, according to NBA tracking data, averaging a team-high 0.591 points per touch in Monday’s loss while taking a team-low 0.55 dribbles per touch. It helps that Larsson shot 3 of 5 on catch-and-shoot threes against the Kings.

Larsson’s defensive versatility also made an appearance on Monday, as he was tasked with defending 6-foot-8 Kings forward Keegan Murray and 6-foot-3 Kings guard De’Aaron Fox during different stretches of the game. He spent 18 possessions guarding Murray and 15 possessions guarding Fox, according to NBA tracking data.

“He’s a two-way player and even though he’s a rookie by NBA standards, he has a great deal of competitive experience,” Spoelstra said, with Wednesday’s contest against the Suns marking the start of a six-game trip for the Heat. “So he’s savvy, he has the toughness that we like. He can guard multiple positions. Everybody feels comfortable with him already. He spent a whole career knowing how to fit in offensively on the other end.”

As one of the older prospects to be drafted this year at 23 years old, Larsson enters the NBA with more experience that most rookies. He’s a four-year college player, but he also played professionally in his home country of Sweden before enrolling in college.

While it’s a small sample size at this early stage of the season, it’s worth noting that Larsson enters Wednesday with the best plus/minus (plus 33) among those selected in the second round of this year’s draft. He has played the sixth-most minutes (45) among that group behind Memphis’ Jaylen Wells (207), Toronto’s Jamal Shead (147), Toronto’s Jonathan Mogbo (141), Oklahoma City’s Ajay Mitchell (96) and Utah’s Kyle Filipowski (89).

The Heat’s first-round pick from this year’s draft, center Kel’el Ware, hasn’t yet received the same opportunity as Larsson. Ware’s only two appearances during the Heat’s first six games of the season came late in lopsided results.

“He be getting to it out there,” Heat star Jimmy Butler said when asked about Larsson. “He’s comfortable, shoots the ball when he’s open. He can put the ball on the floor and get to the basket, get fouled and he also makes the right play. The more reps that he gets out there in the game, the more comfortable and the more confident that he will become. But he’s going to be good. I know he’s on this roster for a reason and we just want him to keep doing what he’s doing.”

Whether Larsson sticks as a consistent member of the Heat’s bench rotation in the coming days and weeks remains to be seen, as his extended playing time has come with others out. Duncan Robinson missed Saturday’s win over the Wizards because of personal reasons and Jaime Jaquez Jr. sat out Monday’s loss to the Kings because of a stomach illness.

But Larsson is already putting together a strong case for consistent playing time, regardless of who’s available or unavailable for the Heat.

“On the road,” Larsson said ahead of the Heat’s long trip, “maybe I can have some more good performances.”

INJURY REPORT

The Heat ruled out Jaquez (stomach illness), Kevin Love (return to competition reconditioning), Josh Christopher (G League) and Keshad Johnson (G League) for Wednesday’s game against the Suns.

It marks the second straight game that Jaquez has missed with his stomach ailment. He did not travel with the team to Phoenix, but he’s expected to re-join the team during the six-game trip.

Love is already back with the team after missing the first five games of the season because of personal reasons, but Wednesday will mark the second straight game that he’ll sit out while he works his way back into game shape. Love traveled to Phoenix and is expected to make his season debut at some point during the trip.