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Hanifan: Kel’el Ware is taking steps in right direction

Kel'el Ware Heat
Miami Heat rookie Kel’el Ware has stacked a pair of very quality performances together. (Mandatory Credit: Brandon Dill/AP)

If we’ve learned anything over the last several years: Growth and development aren’t always linear.

Take four of the Miami Heat’s latest first-round picks, for example.

Tyler Herro burst onto the scene as a rookie in 2019-20 after being drafted No. 13 overall in the 2019 NBA Draft. He averaged 13.5 points as a rookie–wowing fans nationwide with a 37-point Game 4 performance in the Eastern Conference Finals in the bubble.

Mere months later, head coach Erik Spoelstra bestowed more onto Herro’s plate as a primary ballhandler, where he struggled mightily. He continued to fine-tune his game as a shot creator and playmaker; it was never perfect–it’s still not–but he’s made remarkable strides. He continued getting stronger to help withstand the bumps and bruises that it takes to be a 6-foot-5 creator; he’s also gotten quicker, now attacking minuscule gaps quicker and more ferociously.

Up until last year, he had to completely modify his shot diet to coalesce better with Bam Adebayo and Jimmy Butler, who operate in similar areas on the floor. Now, the 24-year-old is playing like an All-Star.

Nikola Jovic and Jaime Jaquez Jr., the Heat’s two most recent first-rounders before the 2024 draft, haven’t quite had linear development, either. Jovic spent most of his first season dealing with a bad back injury while also adjusting to a completely new role relative to what he played in Europe. The 6-foot-10 wing packed on weight and entered the starting lineup toward the tail-end of last season.

Jovic missed most of the offseason with a nagging foot injury that kept him out of the Olympics. To start the 2024-25 season, he didn’t consistently do the little things–or shoot the ball efficiently–and has oscillated in-and-out of the rotation.

Jaquez, drafted No. 18 overall, was one of the most productive rookies last year despite suffering a groin injury in January. He eventually finished fourth in Rookie of the Year voting while earning first-team All-Rookie. He played with Team USA Select Team, the Heat’s Summer League team and was primed for a breakout sophomore campaign.

Until that wasn’t the case. Whether it’s due to being scouted–Jaquez doesn’t have any requisite counters when he gets within 15-20 feet–or looking physically compromised with his lift (specifically around the rim), he’s taken a considerable step back in every area (outside of his rebounding) through 27 games.

If you broaden the lens, Bam Adebayo’s development hasn’t been linear, nor has Pelle Larsson’s nor was Josh Richardson’s nor was Justise Winslow’s (pre-injury). This isn’t new news–not just from a Heat perspective, but a whole leaguewide angle.

The same can be said about this year’s Miami Heat first-round rookie Kel’el Ware. The 7-foot big stood out–physically and literally--during Summer League, averaging 18.3 points, 8.4 rebounds and 1.9 blocks while shooting 58.4 percent from the floor and 68.7 percent from the free-throw line.

There were plenty of encouraging flashes but also plenty of areas to improve upon–that’s not unusual. And that continued to matriculate in preseason, as Ware began 2024-25 out of the rotation behind Thomas Bryant and Kevin Love. Ware was able to get reps in the G-League for a pair of games. His numbers–18.5 points, 10.5 rebounds, 2.0 steals, 3.5 blocks–stood out, even though the same concerns (lack of strength, outside shooting, positioning, court awareness … motor) were sprinkled throughout each game.

Fast forward to Saturday. Amid one of the worst collapses in franchise history against the beleaguered Orlando Magic, Kel’el Ware–playing ahead of Kevin Love, who was out for personal reasons–had the best game of his career up to this point, scoring eight points (4-4 FG) with seven rebounds and two blocks in 13 minutes. Roughly 48 hours later against the Brooklyn Nets, Ware was rock solid again. He finished with nine points (4-6 FG), seven rebounds, two steals and one blocks.

He stacked one good performance on top of another–which is incredibly important for not only his confidence, but Erik Spoelstra’s trust in him.

Everybody has all these expectations and rightly so,” Erik Spoelstra said recently, according to Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald. “If he’s not playing a certain amount of minutes or if he doesn’t get into a game, that doesn’t mean that things are going poorly. Quite the contrary, he’s doing a lot of really good things.

“Control what you can control, stack good days. You keep on doing those good days, that leaves an impression on the head coach and the rest of the coaching staff, your teammates. He’s getting better. He still has to learn the league, learn how things go. But he’s making a lot of steps forward behind the scenes and that’s what you want to see with young players.”

There’s no doubt that Ware has shown encouraging flashes throughout these last two games–and since the start of Summer League. Perhaps his best skill–his vertical spacing–has been at the forefront of his success. He’s got great hands with exceptional physical tools–which he’s also parlayed into above-average rim protection.

But it’s about stacking the good days. No young player has earned Erik Spoelstra’s trust by doing it just one game, or just one day. Stack good day after good day. Again, again and again. Given his motor concerns at Oregon and Indiana, he’s going to go at least 125 percent to get 100 percent of the credit. And regardless of how antsy fans are about playing Ware, Spoelstra and Co. has a method to the madness–and it’s worked.

Given the current state of the Miami Heat–a mediocre, discouraging, redundant organization–they can now afford to play Ware. He’s not going to be perfect; he will make mistakes, hopefully not many, but the bumps and bruises (figuratively and literally) will exist.

But he’s taking steps in the right direction. Whether it’s behind closed doors or in front of a live audience for thousands to see, Kel’el Ware stacking good days together is paramount. Day by day. Brick by brick. You can’t build Rome in one day, but if you continue to lay a strong foundation with the rest of your teammates, there’s no telling what will be built in the future.

“He has not gotten caught up in anything other than daily improvement, which is hard to do if you’re not necessarily playing every single game,” Spoelstra said. “But you commit to the process, you commit to the work in the weight room, pre-practice, film sessions, all the things. Young players sometimes can think we’re a little bit crazy with all of that, and he hasn’t. He’s embraced all of it. So it’s going to happen for him.

“He’s unique. His size, his quick twitch, he can impact the game on both ends. So we’ll just continue to work with him. It’s been a joy to work and develop him as a staff.”

***

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SunManFromDogBone

Keshad Johnson Gets Promoted to 2 year Standard Deal!

Last edited 12 hours ago by SunManFromDogBone
SunManFromDogBone

The middling Miami Heat have a major trade dilemma.The Heat find themselves close to being a playoff team but far from being a contender. (FANSIDED, 12/23/24)

“Rumors have the Heat considering trading both Terry Rozier and Butler, and while Butler will be a free agent after this season, they don’t appear to be in a hurry to trade him. Maybe they should. After all, the Heat owe the Oklahoma City Thunder a first-round pick.

If Miami misses the playoffs, then they can keep that pick and set themselves up better for an inevitable rebuild or retooling. Even though a player such as Jacques Jr. hasn’t lived up to expectations, the Heat still have enough to rebuild around, including Herro, Bam Adebayo, and intriguing prospect Kel’el Ware.

If they play their cards right, then they could potentially flip Butler for more assets. With most teams short on first-round picks and salary filler, they would probably have to trade rotation players. That might serve the Heat better with them being able to plug in several rotation players in Butler’s absence and hopefully building a better roster going forward.”

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