Heat's Pelle Larsson Suffers Ankle Injury During Pregame Lifting, out vs. Bulls

Pelle Larsson went down before the game even started on Wednesday.

The Miami Heat rookie suffered a sprained right ankle during pregame lifting ahead of Wednesday's contest against the Chicago Bulls. Miami announced that he will not be available for the matchup, but his timeline for recovery is still unknown.

Larsson got his start playing professionally in Sweden before joining the college basketball ranks in 2020. After a year with Utah and three solid seasons with Arizona, the Houston Rockets drafted Larsson in the second round and traded him to Miami on draft night.

Larsson has put together a decent rookie year so far, averaging 4.6 points, 1.7 assists and 1.2 rebounds per game while playing just 14.2 minutes per contest. His numbers are far from the best among other rookies, but he's been a valuable contributor, especially considering he was a late draft pick.

Unfortunately for Larsson, he may not have time to recover from the injury before the end of the season. Miami has just three games left this year and will close out the season on Sunday.

The Heat will have the chance to reach the postseason through the play-in tournament, which could give Larsson the chance to get back on the floor this year. Miami is currently in 10th place in the East but could potentially climb a few spots up the standings to give them a better chance of getting into the playoffs via the play-in tournament.