Heat coach Erik Spoelstra is facing massive backlash for his plan with young big man Kel’el Ware. After playing just eight minutes against the Celtics on Thursday, Spo made some public comments on Ware’s waning role, publicly questioning his competitiveness. In response to the development, Ware revealed his true thoughts on the unfortunate situation.
“Honestly, I’m not gonna lie. I think it’s crazy, but I mean, it’s his comments. I’ve kinda learned to control what you can control. It is what it is. If I didn’t play the second half, that was his decision he felt he needed to make,” Ware said before the game against the Thunder. “In order to produce, I guess, as he said eight weeks ago, I would say I had more minutes eight weeks ago.”
Kel’el Ware, 21, was drafted 15th overall in 2024. After a modest rookie campaign, he began to emerge as a more frequent name in Spoelstra’s rotation, and he even started for 27 games this season. With averages of 11.7 points, 9.9 rebounds, 0.5 assists, 0.9 steals, and 1.1 blocks per game on 54.3% shooting and 41.9% shooting from three, he’s emerging as a potential long-term center option for Miami, but his progress has stalled in recent weeks.
While Spoelstra didn’t totally walk back his previous comments, he did re-commit to his future ahead of Saturday’s contest. He advocated for Ware’s success while stressing the importance of impacting the game.
“I didn’t articulate that in a great way, and that wasn’t fair to Kel’el,” said Spoelstra, via Zach Weinberger. “I’m fully invested and invigorated by the opportunity to develop Kel’el… I think he’s markedly improved not only his approach but also his work ethic, professionalism, and game. I do have to figure out some things, and it might not happen immediately. There are some rotations that have to produce a little better. Some of the impact and the on and off numbers have to be a little bit better.”
It remains to be seen what Ware’s long-term future is in Miami, but there are signs that things are headed in a positive direction. Following a productive conversation on his role, Ware was given more opportunities on Saturday against the Thunder with 11 shot attempts in 16 minutes of action. He finished with seven points, nine rebounds, zero assists, one steal, and one block on 27.3% shooting and 33.3% shootig from three. Interestingly, he was also a team-worst -9 in the loss.
At 21-20, the Miami Heat have been mediocre, at best, this season. They’ve cooled off after a hot start, and now they are sitting at play-in territory in the East. At this point, giving more time and opportunities to Ware should be one of their main priorities, and it seems Spo hasn’t given up on his development just yet. What comes next is up to the player now, and the impact he makes on the court will be the biggest factor.
