The Miami Heat came out of the gates this season looking like a team ready to build on last year’s playoff run. But lately, the wheels have started to wobble.
Heading into Monday night’s home matchup against the Toronto Raptors, the Heat are staring down a four-game losing streak and have dropped five of their last six. Over their last 10 games, they're sitting at a middling 5-5. For a team that prides itself on consistency and toughness, this recent stretch has been anything but.
There’s no one reason for the slide-this isn’t just about Tyler Herro returning to the lineup. The issues run deeper, touching nearly every corner of the court. The Heat’s once-reliable three-point shooting has cooled off, the bench production has taken a hit, and defensively, they’re not making the same impact we’ve come to expect from a team coached by Erik Spoelstra.
Herro’s return from injury certainly adds a wrinkle. He’s rejoined a team that’s slumping on both ends, and while his presence brings offensive firepower, it’s also created new challenges for Spoelstra’s rotation. With injuries still affecting other parts of the roster, finding a consistent lineup has been like trying to solve a puzzle with missing pieces.
One player caught in the shuffle? Kel’el Ware.
The second-year big was just starting to hit his stride. Over a 10-game stretch in late November, Ware was putting up near double-double averages-around 15 points and 15 boards per game-as the team’s starting center.
He looked confident, assertive, and fully in sync with what Spoelstra wanted out of him this season. For a moment, he wasn’t just holding his own-he was looking like one of the most impactful bigs in the Eastern Conference.
But with Herro back, someone had to lose minutes. Nikola Jovic has been the most obvious casualty, falling out of the rotation entirely.
Ware, meanwhile, has been shifted into a bench role. The Heat have experimented with a smaller starting five featuring Davion Mitchell, Herro, Norman Powell, Andrew Wiggins, and Bam Adebayo.
It’s a lineup that leans heavily on speed and perimeter creation-but it also sidelines one of the team’s most promising young talents.
And here’s the thing: the numbers back up the eye test. Miami has looked like a better team when Ware is logging meaningful minutes.
His size, length, and versatility on both ends of the floor bring a different dimension to the Heat’s identity. Offensively, he doesn’t clog the paint-he’s shown a willingness and ability to stretch the floor.
Defensively, he gives Miami a true rim protector who can also switch and recover, which helps take pressure off Adebayo and allows him to play more naturally at the four.
Spoelstra has hinted that he wants to see more defensive intensity from the Adebayo-Ware pairing, but that’s a duo with serious upside. The chemistry isn’t perfect yet, but the potential is too high to ignore.
The projected starting five entering the season-Herro, Powell, Wiggins, Adebayo, and Ware-hasn’t even seen the floor together. That’s a missed opportunity that could be holding this team back.
Ware isn’t just another young big learning the ropes. He’s a legitimate two-way talent who can raise this team’s ceiling. And while Mitchell has done an admirable job running the point-he’s been one of the league’s most productive passers this season-his skill set is flexible enough to thrive in a variety of roles, including anchoring the second unit.
That’s not as easy to say for Ware. His impact is maximized when he’s on the floor with the starters, playing meaningful minutes alongside Adebayo. The two can be staggered, sure-but Ware has earned the chance to start and grow through any early mistakes.
For now, the Heat need answers. The losing streak is real, and the Eastern Conference isn’t going to wait for them to figure things out.
But one thing is clear: Kel’el Ware shouldn’t be watching the game from the bench. He’s too talented, too impactful, and too important to what this team could become.
It’s time to unleash him.