At this time last year, Miami Heat center Kel’el Ware was scrapping and clawing for minutes in Erik Spoelstra’s rotation.
In fact, the then-rookie played a total of 47 minutes across his first eight games, not exceeding 14 minutes in any one of them. His role was far from consistent, but the 7-foot center was in the midst of the Heat’s player development behind the scenes.
The 7-foot big eventually entered the rotation in late December and won over a starting job in late January — one he didn’t relinquish. So far, after a rough start, Ware has parlayed his development into a monster stretch over the last two weeks, building confidence and, most importantly, stacking productive days.
“It gives us so much confidence,” Heat head coach Spoelstra said after Sunday’s win. “How fun was that to see Kel’el in that second quarter, rebounding everything offensively, putting them back and playing with so much more force than he was a year ago at this time.
“He’s gaining confidence. I want to be open-minded to wherever it can go. I don’t want to put a ceiling on him.
Why Kel’el Ware stacking days is important for Heat:
Ever since Ware was called out by Udonis Haslem after his unimpactful Nov. 14 outing against the New York Knicks — despite putting up numbers — Ware has flipped a switch.
He is averaging 16.6 points, 15.6 rebounds (5.6 offensive!!!!!) and 1.4 blocks across 52.5 percent shooting, 50.0 percent (6-12) from 3-point range and 86.7 percent (13-15) from the charity stripe.
Ware was on the precipice of his first 20-20 game in Monday’s 106-102 win over the Dallas Mavericks. The second-year center tallied 20 points (7-14 FG) and 18 rebounds, two off from tying his season high. It was his 8th game with 13 or more rebounds on the season.
That’s monstrous production.
“Man, I’m gassing him up. I’m not gonna lie to y’all,” Adebayo said after Monday’s win. “There’s been a lot of coaches yelling at him, us yelling at him, he’s got his own people in his ear — and obviously he has to think about it.
“So, being able to see what he’s doing, I’m truly proud of him. It might not be 20 (points) and 18 (rebounds) every night, but his impact now — it doesn’t matter if it’s seven points or 10 rebounds, you’re going to feel his impact. That’s what I want him to keep striving off of.”
Better yet, Ware continues to improve his discipline not only defensively, but on the glass. He’s getting better at boxing other bigs out forcefully, making extra efforts on the offensive glass and using two hands to secure rebounds.
“We just appreciate how [Kel’el Ware] walks into the building every day,” Spoelstra said. “He takes coaching, good or bad. He wants to be better for this team. He’s stacking up solid days, every day, and these days are contributing to winning.
“The way he’s rebounding right now — that’s earning more playing time. We say it all the time: Make us notice you, impact the game and eventually, make me have to play you.”
Ware is still only 21-years-old!
Should he continue to keep stacking days, the sky is the limit. It also eases plenty of pressure off Adebayo’s shoulders not only on the court, but when the three-time All-Star is off-the-court whether it’s foul trouble, or buying a couple extra minutes of rest.
Ware’s recent stretch completely changes the team’s calculus. He’s been a vacuum on the glass, a more disciplined shot-blocker, an improving long-range shooter and a dominant vertical spacer. He’s also got a smooth in-between touch in the post, where he’s nearly unblockable upon release with his standing reach.
He has all the talent in the world. But as I’ve belabored before, it’s about consistency.
And Ware has been as consistently impactful as any player on this roster, a very encouraging sign moving forward if that remains the case.
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with so many good players who starts who finishes minutes distribution great problem to have.one thing id like to see bam ware together alot
Dru is questionable. We might see some minutes from KJ against Milwaukee.
I worry every time Dru hits the floor. The more you watch him the more you can see that his talent and potential are so high. I just want him to have a chance to be what he can be.
great back up health major concern with him
I felt a bit sick when he fell and the opponent landed on top of him and he had that grimace. I thought, please, not again.
KJ off to GLeague
damn.
Clippers trying not to tank and Sacto looking for ways to tank. Miami is looking for a PF to rotate with Ware and Bam. How about a three way trade that is a win/win/win for all?
Clippers receive DeMar DeRozan ($24.6M)
Heat receives John Collins ($26.6M)
Sacto receives Terry Rozier’s expiring contract ($26.6M)*
*Miami and Sacto would agree to place Rozier’s 2025-2026 salary (pre and post trade) in separate impound accounts and either pay the money to Rozier if he is cleared of charges or keep the money if he is convicted of a crime that results in his permanent ban from the NBA.
**Miami retains the right to receive compensation from the NBA & Charlotte for their failure to disclose ongoing league and FBI investigations regarding Rozier’s alleged criminal gambling activities, prior to the 2024 trade. Miami gave up their 2027 first round pick to acquire Rozier.
Collins is not a good player.
Good enough as third big. Rozier is worse.
I would prefer airplane mode.
Airplane more of a SF. We already have plenty of those.
I agree. Collins may not be great, but he is better than he’s playing. The Clippers are a mess.
Anyway, that trade is too perfect and sensible to ever happen.
better than niko
Exactly. Plus we would be getting him for nothing since Heat would be get rid of Rozier who is tying up money and a roster spot. Collins is a better rebounder, defender and scorer than Jovic who may not find his mojo any time soon.
Trade Nico along Rosier for Collins and close this Nico this Nico that arguing already. Even Lowry, Rosier and Jimmy were better treated on this site then him.
Can’t trade Jovic with 4 year extension on books, especially consider his disappointing season. Miami would get the shaft. Jaquez was not treated too well last season during his sophomore slump. It comes with the territory. Quitter, Lowry and Rozier not exactly loved on HHH. Niko getting so much negative feedback because he hasn’t decided to give 100% like Ware, Jaquez and Larsson have. Can’t use his age as an excuse. Ware is only in his second season and is a year younger.
Wares problem was his effort for most of his career, with exemptions of past 10-12 games and relatively rare occasionals during last season and during summer league. JJJ also wasnt innocent in that regard last season. You are right about Pelle.
I will continue to hope the light goes on for him like it has for Ware. Different players reach their potential at different times. I think he still needs to bulk up another 20 pounds. But don’t worry, when and if he reaches his full potential, everyone will fall back in love with him.
I m a bit sick of all that. He is bad, but not that bad.
Or, he is the only who play bad among 11 others which play great. Usually, half of the team is bad.
No worries. It’s just the way things are here at times. He’s not going anywhere and he’ll be fine in the long run.
What’s going on with the “pending approval” process? I tried to post info about the best starting line-up twice hours ago but it still hasn’t shown up.
It’s crazy. If you try to copy something that has quotation marks, or highlighted text, or who knows what and that pops up. It then takes hours or more to be approved. By that time, the comment is no longer relevant.
Yup. Sucks, don’t it?
Anyway, the recommendation was:
1st team: Mitchell, Powell, Herro, Wiggins, Bam
2nd team: Smith, Larsson, Rozier, Fontecchio, Ware
(Ware would clean up vs tired first teamers or less talented second teamers)
After the first quarter, anything goes. Que Sera, Sera.
I caught some of the Knicks and Cavs games, he’s the player that stood out the most. He looks like he has improved his court awareness, if that’s a thing. And man, he just looks so big out there. Glad to read he’s been playing hard every night. That’s also a skill.
good news powell back tomorrow
who starts?
Michell, Powell, Herro, Wiggins, Bam
Smith, Larsson, Jaquez, Fontecchio, Ware
ware off the bench?
Ware, Bam, Powell, Herro, Davion?
Wiggins still out?
wiggins off the bench?
JJJ, Niko, Wiggins and Dru are all questionable. Too many possible combinations, we will find out when the game starts
Great news. We can see how the chemistry is between him and Herro. It has the potential to be a real nightmare for opponents. Assuming Spo starts them both, I’d rather see them go small with Davion, and Powell or Herro at the 3 with Bam and Ware. Davion has the best assist to turnover ratio in the league. We need him in there. And while I agree with you that the team would be better off with Herro off the bench, I think he will start.
you think wiggins will be okay coming off the bench?
He’s such a mellow character, he’d probably be okay. My concern is if he stays there too long, it would lessen his trade value. I really like him, but I don’t think he’s part of the future of the team.
jovic needs to watch franz wagner tape i think he should try to model his game like wagner.think hes got the skills similar to franz just has to find his niche in up tempo usa bball
Jovic needs to quit trying to force plays and instead let the plays come to him. I think his successful summer in Europe and his new 4 year contract extension went to his head. He came into camp with an attitude that he had already made it. He thought he would be able to play the way he did this summer. He couldn’t. He thought he was already penciled in as a starter. He wasn’t. In his fourth season, he still hasn’t learned that the NBA is a different (more physical) game than Euroball.
Jovic has a ton of potential. However, he needs to go through his current attitude adjustment period before the light will go on and he will realize what he has to do to succeed in the NBA. He’s still in the final year of his rookie contract, so he still has time to find hi mojo.
Avdija, for example, started with 6,8,9 points a game, to climbed to 14 and 17 ppg in years 4 and 5. In this season, year 6, he average 24 points a game. Wagner started stronger, with 15 ppg, and climbed to 24 in year 4.
Niko started with 5,8, 10…. he should be around 13-14 this season, but he is bellow 10. The problem is this year performance then.
Anyway, bot Wagner and Avdija are 24, 2 year older then Jovic.
For such players 24-25 is also the age, where can be said, that 90 % of potential is realized. Both those two are borderline allstars now and will be multi year all stars in future.
Niko followed closely Avdijas trajectory till this year.
The problem is the Heat can’t afford to play him until he gets all the bugs out when there are so many players in front of him having good years.
He needs playing time to build his confidence. Sitting on the bench watching others perform up to their potential is only good if it helps him do the same. He looks pretty down on himself now, like his head and his heart are not in the game. This is when Niko needs to show what he’s made of. I think going to Sioux Falls will help him get his head and game together.
I dont think so. I prefer to sit him games and let others play, but then sit others (rest, minor injuries handling), like JJJ, Simone, Wiggins, Ware and play him heavy minutes then for 2-3 games.
I think something like that is already a plan.
I agree. You can’t play everyone. Niko is being treated fairly. He got chances, didn’t take advantage. He is the logical choice to sit. G League would be the best thing for him right now.
Good analysis. You are the European player guru. More and more are ascending. Markkanen is easily the third best and would be a superstar on a better team. The Lakers are proving that you get a few great and very good white players on an integrated team and you can win. The opposite is also true as several all or essentially all black teams (maybe a white bench player) are bad teams. Mostly because of the European influx something of a new era has dawned where some of the old prejudices (White Man Can’t Jump) are falling away at least a little. And several African players are also coming as the diversity widens. It’s still the most difficult sport to crack a line up into by far. And the game is better for it.
I m not.
But this year all stars game could be a Jokic, Greek, Wemby, SGA, Luka lineup against what US can put together.
US still has some elite talent, but those players are 35+ year old. Younger players are clearly one or two levels bellow those 5.
nikos not as athletic as the two.athleticism is a birth right hard to get faster jump higher.niko grew too tall if he was 6 4 only prob next goran
what does niko do good.unc can shoot.tyler can score.jjj highway.pelles a bruiser.u have to find a go to move and perfect it.not sure niko will ever get that as of nov 26 2025 he doesnt.i see him as a spot up 3pt guy .he thinks at times hes dwade or magic.son here in the usa its a diff type game.ive been saying this for a while his game doesnt transfer to usa like dan majerle jrs does.hes overall more skillful than pelle.but pelles a pit bull out there
Even Fontecchio has found his niche. He’s not the best defender on the court but he gives everything he has. I still haven’t seen Jovic do that. He needs to go “all in” in order to reach his true potential. There aren’t participation trophies in the NBA.
Franc and Avdija should be models for him. He is capable to be something like that.
Not sure. For him to advance I believe he has to improve his handles or at least learn to penetrate only taking a few steps like Duncan did. But, that was the limitation in Dunc’s game. Being able to get downhill moving side to side with both hands (doing crossovers) like Jaime does, that’s a higher skill. It’s Jovic’s dribbling skills that are holding him back. And he has to be more willing to bang and position for rebounds. Niko has a lot to learn and could do so in the GLeague. Frans and Deni already do those things much better than Niko and it’s not a given that he will learn them. Niko will have to work hard at his craft to get to where those guys are.
Exactly! He has to grow a pair and us his body to score more in the paint, rebound and defend. Right now he is too soft for NBA PF and doesn’t have enough skill to be a SF point forward. Like I said earlier, he’s in no man’s land. He’s going through a sophomore slump in his fourth year. He needs to fix his head before he can fix his game. Until then he will be stuck on the end of the bench.
orlando robinson jamal cain cashing cks still
Philadelphia is getting blown out by the Magic, so they resorted to thug behavior. Then the refs sided with Philly and only made the injustice worse. Drummond is an old washed up player, and he got away with acting unruly like a bully. And they ejected Suggs who was only trying to break up the altercation. Refs have to have the courage to stand up to dirty play even when the building is getting ugly because the Sixers are stinking up the joint. .
tried to undress carter that was total bs.i expect a suspension for that 30.drummond can still rebound though.wash killed atl sht like that happens all the time bad losses.
I just admit I dislike Philly, all their teams, and many of the people sitting in the stands. The people there can be very rude and harsh. I have to live around several of them. Being from Miami it’s a culture shock.
I just watched the video. Not to say Suggs shouldn’t have been thrown out, but Drummond definitely should have been thrown out too. This has seemed to be a particularly bad year for refs. The ridiculous basket interference call against Ware is another example. It won’t change until they are held accountable. If they make an especially bad call, they should get a swift kick in the wallet.
In other related news, Silver and the league are still screwing the Heat on the Rozier issue. They should either make a decision or publicly say why they haven’t done so yet!
Yes, Silver seems to be trying to sweep this under a rug and just buy time. It won’t go away that easily. Silver may be facing his first real crisis and I am not sure he will handle things as well as David Stern would have.
Silver allowed Charlotte to screw Miami on Rozier trade. He has to fix it. I sure hope Riley is prepared to sue his ass if he doesn’t resolve his mess to Miami’s satisfaction.
take out the they it was just drummond 30.
Your right. The crowd got rowdy and I think the refs did a little home cooking. But my dislike of Philly caused me to generalize Drummond’s actions to the people who booed the Pope. It also is becoming an increasing pet peeve of mine watching refs placate the home crowds more and more across all sports. It’s bad in basketball and football. The away team has to beat the home team and the refs.
Very interesting article.
Tyler Herro’s back, so who comes out of the starting lineup?
I agree the starting line-up should be Mitchell, Powell, Herro, Wiggins and Bam
2nd Unit: Smith, Larsson, Jaquez, Fontecchio, Ware
Jovic, Johnson and Jakucionis waiting in the wings. Jovic #11 man if he finds his mojo, otherwise Johnson #11.
https://www.yardbarker.com/nba/articles/tyler_herros_back_so_who_comes_out_of_the_starting_lineup/s1_16619_43118852
Very interesting article in today’s Yard Barker regarding the starting line-up now that Herro has returned.
Tyler Herro’s back, so who comes out of the starting lineup?
If Herro is returned to the starting line-up:
It makes a great deal of sense to start Mitchell and Herro and to have Ware come off the bench. A second unit of Smith, Larsson, Jaquez, Fontecchio and Ware would be far better than any reserves most other NBA teams can assemble. Jovic, Johnson and Jakucionis would be the odd men out. If Fontecchio falters, Jovic would be the logical choice to replace him, assuming he is able to locate his misplaced mojo. Otherwise, Johnson would be the next man up.
Note: Herro had 24 points on 12-18 shooting with 7 rebounds and 3 steals. His defensive effort and results seem to be better in the team’s current fast paced run & gun scheme than its former slow down/half-court game.
https://www.yardbarker.com/nba/articles/tyler_herros_back_so_who_comes_out_of_the_starting_lineup/s1_16619_43118852
I’m liking his nickname, Warewolf sounds awesome.
Reid said warehouse last night I like that too
first time ive ever disagreed with u.you always tell it like it is positive or negative appreciate the honesty and reality of your views.rc prob cries when he reads your posts
Fk That sht. Nobody here makes me cry, least of all you. Still waiting for your next great player Vlad. Been watching him a bit. When he jumps, I don’t think his sneakers leave the ground. He’ll probably make his money in China, Russia, maybe Middle East, not nba. His highest ceiling probably isn’t even Matt Geiger. Heat are 12-6. Why should I take anything you negative Nellies say as credible. You wanted Bryant over Keshad, lmao.
spobot has favs w/o injuries we never see keshot.
I like both, but warewolf sounds more imposing. I’ll just say this…. he’s a warewolf with a warehouse sized arsenal or deep bag.
Werewolf…where wolf…there wolf.
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/BsECvg7tQy0
didnt warren zevon have song warewolfs of london.ahoo.
one major weakness when bam or ware is not on the ct against the good big athletic teams det okc houst tor we will get killed on the boards.gotta find a 3rd quality big pf /c
Toronto has some bruisers. They may be a bigger surprise than us. Ingram went off against the Cavs. That was a quality win.
He was incredible in last 5 or so games. Its not just numbers, its also doing the right things to help team win.
He got it all, and he only started to put things together.
I took a look on his draft glass. Castle is probably the best player at the moment in this class, followed by group of Edey, Buzelis and Ware, and Pelle not far behind.
With 15th pick Heat got top 3-4 pick quality player and with 44 pick Heat got top 15, if not top 10 pick in that draft.
I think the last serious draft failure was Justice.
Sky Is the limit for this young stud, can’t believe we got him at 15. Castle is probably better for now, but if ware keeps on this upward trajectory, he will become the best player in that class in my opinion, And another franchise cornerstone for us. Seems ppl call him temu wemby, which is ok I guess, but he’s the warewolf for a reason. Give him another year or 2 and he will be in the same class as chet holmgren,sengun,and wemby….hopefully. justice was a huge failure, but anyone gm would of made that mistake, I think ainge even tried trading for him with draft capital. Riley should of said yes in hindsight, and gotten booker from his Alma matter, since Kentucky produces elite talent.
wemby on diff level than chet sengun
Sooo, even if that’s true, both sengun and chet, are all-star caliber players, with the potential to become all-nba players this season. There both franchise cornerstone players. Sengun probably the best or 2nd best on his team. Also chet is 2nd best or 3rd best on his team.
Hopefully he will. Looks good now.
Yeah, I think Ware is better than Edey and Buzelis already.
Agreed
Taking into account past 5 games, he is clearly the best player of that draft. Taking into account last season, end especially this summer and uneven start of this season, is more like top 5 player of this draft.
Consistency is needed. If he can keep up that level of ball for a longer time, sure, he is better then those two.
The last serious draft failure was picking Precious #20 in 2020 and letting 76ers nab Maxey at #21. Dude is #2 in scoring behind only Luka.
He from Kentucky too, so pat messed up on that pick too most definitely.
I remember that draft and it was very similar to the Winslow draft. In both cases, a player projected to go much earlier started slipping down and the Heat thought it scored a bargain. Didn’t work out either time unfortunately.
winslow booker.all gms miss when u draft d wade u get hall pass for life
19 other teams made the same mistake. But yeah, Precious pick wasn’t the best possible.
14 passed on Giannis. It happens.
Phoenix took Ayton #1 over Luka.
Paint a full moon on the home court for the Ware-wolf
eric calls him warehouse needs to change that to wolf anyway u can contact e reid