Arizona wing Pelle Larsson declares for 2023 NBA Draft, will retain college eligibility
When at his best, Pelle Larsson’s skill set is one that enables him to do almost anything on the court. Whether that can translate into the NBA is another story, but he’s going to see where he stands.
Larsson is one of 242 underclassmen who have declared for the 2023 NBA Draft, joining teammate Azuolas Tubelis. According to Jason Scheer of WildcatAuthority.com Larsson will maintain his college eligibility, leaving open the option to return to Arizona for next season. He does not intend to enter the NCAA transfer portal, per Scheer, as some players testing the draft waters end up doing.
The 6-foot-5 wing averaged 9.9 points, 4.3 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game this past season for the Wildcats, starting the first 18 games before coming off the bench the final 17. In 2021-22, his first year with the UA after playing one season at Utah, Larsson was the Pac-12 Sixth Man of the Year and likely would have repeated had he started a few less games last year.
Larsson shot 47.2 percent last season, making 35.6 percent of his 3s and shooting 83.5 percent from the line to rank second in the Pac-12.
Not on any draft boards, Larsson will have to hope the feedback he gets from NBA scouts is good enough to decide whether to stay in or go back to school. He has until May 31 to withdraw and remain eligible for college, and if he doesn’t return it would mean the Wildcats will have to replace their top seven scorers from the 2022-23 team since Tubelis is not expected to return.
Source: Arizona Desert Swarm
