Miami Heat big man Kel’el Ware is looking to make an impact in his second season in the NBA. After seeing his work ethic called into question over the summer by head coach Erik Spoelstra, Ware is looking to change the narrative in year two.
As a rookie, Ware averaged 9.3 points and 7.4 rebounds per game in 64 appearances (36 starts). He showed flashes of promise as a potential part of Miami’s future plans, but not everyone is fully convinced that Ware is the answer at center going forward.
In the Heat’s preseason opener against the Milwaukee Bucks earlier this week, Ware posted a double-double with 18 points and 13 rebounds. However, Ware was a -21 in his minutes on Monday.
“There was a 3 minute segment where it actually impacted the game, the rest of it has to impact the game. I'm not looking at the stat-line, I think everybody's looking at the wrong thing,” Spoelstra said after the game, per Brady Hawk of Five Reasons Sports.
“That does not matter if you have 18 and 13, if it's not impacting the game,” he added.
As of now, it doesn’t seem as though Ware has the trust of his head coach, and he’ll need to earn it soon before the regular season begins if he hopes to play meaningful minutes in Miami this season.