CLEVELAND — The untold part of the NBA lineup/rotation process is managing the egos, selling teammates on being a team.

And then there are those who make a team a team, with second-year Heat forward Pelle Larsson a prime example.

With Erik Spoelstra on Wednesday deciding it was time to get Norman Powell back in the starting lineup alongside Tyler Herro, the odd man out became Larsson.

Granted, playing off the bench hardly is atypical for No. 44 picks in their second season. But for Larsson, Wednesday night’s shift meant moving back to the bench for the first time in two months, after 29 consecutive starts.

But he did.

And thrived.

And played starter’s minutes, going a team high 34:04 in the 120-103 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers.

“Pelle is undeniable,”  Spoelstra said, with the Heat turning their attention to Friday night’s rematch against the Cavaliers at Rocket Arena. “You can’t take him off the floor. So I didn’t think anything of it.

“He didn’t think anything of it that we made the change. Because I know, and I know that he knows that I know that he’s going to play.”

Larsson did take the move in stride, to a degree, considering how it changed his stride.

“It felt like it had been a while,” he said of hitting the floor while others already have been running. “The other guys get a little head start on you. They’re a little bit warmer.”

But because of who he is, the 25-year-old Swede simply turned what some would perceive as a negative into a positive.

“But then my energy was higher than theirs when I got in, because I had the rest,” he said of Wednesday’s initial action off the bench. “And then I could carry that throughout the whole second quarter.”

What mattered most to Larsson was still playing as a closer on Wednesday night, as the Heat pulled away in the fourth quarter to snap a five-game losing streak, with such a finishing role now the focus amid the lineup switch.

“Closing is definitely more important than starting,” he said. “Just being out there on the court as much as I can is a privilege and really fun. So the more I can be out there, the better. And if it’s starting or not, it doesn’t matter.”

But the statistics say otherwise, which is why it might not be as simple a transition from the starting lineup as unplug and play.

While the averages are difficult to compare, considering Larsson has averaged 28.5 minutes per game in his 48 starts compared to 17.0 in his 14 games off the bench, the shooting percentages are considerably lower as a reserve, with the field-goal percentage .509 as a starter compared to .379 as a reserve, and a true shooting percentage of .621 as a starter compared to .509 as a reserve. But all but Wednesday night’s reserve action came early in the season, when Larsson still was gaining his footing.

Spoelstra said what Larsson provides any unit transcends shooting splits or role in the rotation.

“Ball on the floor, ball in the air,  I just love the way he competes, how he impacts the game,” Spoelstra said, “And his teammates really appreciate him, as well.”

Powell, in fact, noted how inspiring it was to watch Larsson help spark the second unit on Wednesday night, particularly after some uneven moments by the new starting unit.

“The hustle plays, the second- and third-effort plays, the cut and move,” Powell said.

Now also with the confidence to help lead the second unit.

“The more time you spend with someone, the more comfortable you get in that relationship,” he said of his evolving roles in his second season. “Also, being able to show a little bit more what I can do on the court, I think makes people trust me more. We have a pretty open locker room; anyone can kind of talk and share their voice.”