Kel’el Ware had a promising rookie season with the Miami Heat, but head coach Erik Spoelstra isn’t too pleased with what he is seeing from the big man lately. Spoelstra spoke to the media after practice on Saturday and made it crystal clear that he wants Ware to improve his professionalism.
“There’s layers to this with Kel’el,” Spoelstra said. “A big part of this is he has to really embrace and improve his professionalism, his consistency, his approach every single day. He has to get better with that. It’s learning how to become a pro. I understand it. He was 20 last year, and he’s 21.
“We have bigger expectations,” Spoelstra continued. “It’s not your normal growth and growing pains of a young player learning how to become a pro. But that’s what this summer is about: Learning how to become a pro, learning how to be consistent every single day. The talent is there.
“The professionalism and consistency has to improve, and it is,” Spoelstra added. “Our standards are not going to change, and our expectations and how fast we want that to improve for him are not going to change. But he has to get better at it, he has to take ownership of it, and the other stuff will come along with that.”
Spoelstra revealed Ware, the 15th pick of the 2024 NBA Draft, has been working with assistant coach Malik Allen and is getting stronger and has put on weight. The 21-year-old is more equipped now to handle the physicality that comes with playing at that center spot in the NBA, but his head coach wants to see more out of him.
“We feel like also giving him the structure to grow and embrace becoming a pro,” Spoelstra stated. “Learning how to be a professional every single day, being early, having a great energy, and countenance every day. How you do anything is how you do everything. He’s taken some steps, but he’s got to get better. He has to get better with the professionalism.”
Ware averaged 9.3 points, 7.4 rebounds, 0.9 assists, 0.6 steals, and 1.1 blocks per game for the Heat as a rookie in 2024-25. He was named to the All-Rookie Second Team, and the front office loved what they saw from the big man.
The Heat were so high on Ware after that rookie season that they reportedly refused to include him in trade packages for Kevin Durant. When asked about the team’s stance, Ware stated he was keen to show they were right to believe in him. It’s quite alarming, then, that Spoelstra felt the need to call out the big man in this manner.
Ware has struggled during the summer league so far, averaging 12.0 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 1.7 blocks per game while shooting 39.4 percent from the field. He hasn’t put in a lot of effort, and that low motor is concerning.
Ware was asked about Spoelstra’s comments on Saturday, and he wasn’t taking them personally.
“I mean, I’m a young player still,” Ware said. “Getting into it, learning more about it, and it’s all good.”
It will be interesting to see if Spoelstra’s comments light a fire under Ware. The Heat need more from their young big man as they look to bounce back from a disappointing 2024-25 season. They finished with a poor 37-45 record last season and were swept in the first round of the playoffs by the Cleveland Cavaliers.
