Miami Heat big man Kel’el Ware has begun to breakout for a struggling Miami Heat team, and opposing head coaches are starting to take notice.
In the Heat’s 132-125 loss to the New York Knicks on Sunday, Ware shined despite the loss, scoring 28 points while shooting 5-7 from three-point range, and securing 19 rebounds.
After the game, Knicks head coach Mike Brown took the time to give Ware some credit for his recent stretch of play.
“I’ll tell you, Kel’el Ware, he was a beast tonight on the glass,” Brown said, per Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald. “This is one of the very few times we got our behinds kicked on the glass, and a lot of it is attributed to him and the way he rebounded on both ends of the floor, and then he shot the mess out of the basketball. “We told our guys he’s been shooting it really well. We just didn’t get to his body. It’s a little tough because he’s seven feet. So, with a guy like that, you almost got to close all the way to his chest just to try to hopefully make him put it on the floor.”
Ware has managed to change the narrative around him in recent weeks, going from a player that was often criticized for his effort — mainly from his own head coach, Erik Spoelstra — to a player that is now being applauded for his effort. He’s averaging 12.5 points and 10.7 rebounds this season as the Heat look to right the ship heading into the new calendar year.
After a strong start to the season, Miami needs to get going fast as they currently endure a prolonged losing skid. If things don’t turn around, at least they can hang their hat on the fact that Ware’s development seems to be heading in an upwards trajectory.
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