The Heat are expecting to be without swingman Pelle Larsson for the next week or two, according to Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press (Twitter link).
Larsson underwent an MRI on Wednesday after injuring his left ankle on Tuesday, per Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel (Twitter link). While that MRI confirmed that Larsson suffered a sprain, it was far from a worst-case outcome. The injury will likely cost the former second-rounder no more than a handful of games, with his return timeline depending on how the ankle responds to treatment, Winderman notes.
Larsson, 24, has played an increased role for Miami in his second NBA season, averaging 8.7 points, 3.2 assists, and 2.5 rebounds in 21.9 minutes per game across 24 contests (16 starts).
While Larsson was a starter for most of November, he has seen his minutes cut back in games when both Tyler Herro and Norman Powell have been active.
As long as Herro and Powell stay healthy, the Heat’s rotation shouldn’t be significantly impacted by Larsson’s absence, but Simone Fontecchio and Keshad Johnson are among the candidates for additional minutes if either of those players misses any time before Larsson returns.
Having been eliminated from the NBA Cup on Tuesday, the Heat will play just once in the next week (on Monday vs. Toronto) before heading to Brooklyn and Boston for a back-to-back set next Thursday and Friday, so Larsson may not end up missing many games.