Arizona’s Pelle Larsson announces return for 2023-24 season after entering NBA Draft

The best Sixth Man in the Pac-12 is back for another go-around.

Wing Pelle Larsson has announced his return to Arizona for next season after withdrawing from the 2023 NBA Draft. Invited to the NBA’s G-League combine, he did not attend the event this past weekend in Chicago.

The 6-foot-5 Larsson decided to test the draft waters after averaging 9.9 points, 4.3 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game in 2022-23, a year that saw him start the first 18 games and then come off the bench for the final 17, just missing out on being eligible for Pac-12 Sixth Man of the Year. He won that award in 2021-22, his first season with the Wildcats after transferring from Utah.

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. He is expected to return to the starting lineup as Arizona replaces four starters including power forward Azuolas Tubelis, who also declared for the NBA Draft and isn’t expected to return to school.

Arizona now has 10 scholarship players on the roster for 2023-24, including incoming freshman guard KJ Lewis, Lithuanian big man Motiejus Krivas and former Alabama point guard Jaden Bradley, who committed from the NCAA transfer portal on May 3.