After a tightly contested 119-114 loss to the Boston Celtics earlier this week, the Miami Heat found themselves not just reflecting on missed opportunities on the court-but also on a few words off it.
Head coach Erik Spoelstra stirred up a bit of a storm when addressing second-year center Kel’el Ware’s limited playing time. Ware logged just nine minutes in the game, and when asked about it postgame, Spoelstra’s response raised more eyebrows than it answered questions.
“He needs to get back to where he was 7, 8 weeks ago when everyone felt he was stacking good days,” Spoelstra said. “He’s stacking days in the wrong direction now.
I get it with some young players. You sometimes subconsciously play poorly to say, ‘Hey, I’ll play poorly until you play me the minutes I think I deserve, and then I’ll play well.’
That’s not how it works.”
It was a rare moment of public criticism from one of the league’s most respected coaches-and it didn’t land well.
To Spoelstra’s credit, he didn’t let the moment linger. Ahead of the team’s next game against the Oklahoma City Thunder, he took a step back and clarified his comments.
“I didn’t articulate that in a great way, and that wasn’t fair to Kel’el,” Spoelstra said. “I wasn’t even frustrated with him.
What I’ll say is that I’m fully invested and invigorated about the opportunity to develop Kel’el. And our staff feels the same way.
We’re going to give him everything we have to make sure he becomes the player he wants to become and that we need him to become.”
That kind of accountability isn’t just refreshing-it’s essential when you’re working with young talent like Ware, who, at 21, has already carved out a significant role in Miami’s rotation.
Through 41 games, Ware has been impressively durable-one of only two Heat players (along with Dru Smith) to suit up for every game this season. He’s averaging 11.9 points, 9.9 rebounds, and 1.1 blocks per game, while shooting 54.3% from the field, a scorching 41.9% from deep, and a steady 81.5% from the free-throw line. Those are not just solid numbers-they’re the kind of stats that suggest a young big with serious upside.
At 7 feet tall, Ware has shown flashes of dominance, especially when his motor is running high. That’s been the biggest variable in his game-his energy level.
When he’s locked in, he can be a game-changer on both ends. But consistency has been elusive, and that’s led to a noticeable dip in playing time over the last five games.
Still, few expected Ware to be this far along just a season and a half into his NBA career. And while Spoelstra’s initial comments may have missed the mark, there’s no doubt the Heat’s coaching staff has played a big role in Ware’s development to this point.
“I look back at where he was last year at this time, and where he is now,” Spoelstra said. “I think he’s markedly improved not only his approach, but his work ethic, professionalism and his game.”
That’s the kind of growth you want to see from a young player-and it’s clear Spoelstra sees the bigger picture. He also acknowledged the challenge of figuring out the right rotations and combinations that maximize Ware’s impact.
“There’s some rotations that have to produce a little better,” he said. “Some of the impact and the on-court on and off numbers has to be a little bit better. And that’s what I’m excited about for the second half of the season.”
Translation? Ware’s development is still very much a work in progress, but the foundation is there.
The Heat believe in him. And with Spoelstra reaffirming that belief, the message moving forward is clear: the opportunity is there-now it’s about consistency, energy, and seizing the moment.
The Heat will look to bounce back and keep building when they face the Oklahoma City Thunder at 8:00 p.m. EST.