What’s Going On with Kel’el Ware? Heat’s Young Big Man Is Caught in a Confusing Slide
The Miami Heat are no strangers to midseason adversity, but this current stretch feels different. After racing out to a promising 14-7 start, the wheels have started to wobble. Five straight losses later, the Heat look like a team searching for answers - and one of the biggest questions right now centers around rookie big man Kel’el Ware.
Ware’s minutes are shrinking, his impact is fading, and the trust from head coach Erik Spoelstra seems to be slipping through the cracks. What’s happening here?
A Steady Decline in Minutes - and Confidence?
Let’s start with the numbers. Ware hasn’t cracked 20 minutes in either of Miami’s last two games.
That might not sound like much in isolation, but zoom out a bit: he’s played fewer than 20 minutes just seven times all season - and three of those have come in the last six games. That’s a trend, not a blip.
Defensively, the red flags are hard to ignore. Ware has posted a defensive rating above 119 in each of his last seven games.
That’s not just below average - that’s a liability. Add in the fact that he’s been in the negative for plus-minus in all seven of those outings, and it’s clear Spoelstra’s concerns aren’t without merit.
But here’s where it gets tricky: Miami’s offense has gone cold, too. The ball movement that defined their early-season flow has dried up.
The spacing is off. The pace is sluggish.
And in theory, Ware is the kind of modern big who should help fix that. He’s mobile, he can stretch the floor, and he has a smooth shooting stroke for a seven-footer.
The Three-Point Disconnect
Yet, during this recent slump, Ware’s been practically invisible from deep. Despite averaging 2.3 three-point attempts per game on the season, he’s taken one or no threes in six of his last eight games. That’s not just a shooting slump - that’s a usage issue.
It begs the question: is Ware being coached out of his strengths?
Sure, the defensive struggles are real. But when your team is struggling to score, it’s tough to justify keeping a stretch big glued to the bench - especially one who, just a few weeks ago, was putting up 20-point games with ease.
From Breakout to Bench: What Changed?
Around Thanksgiving, Ware looked like he was hitting his stride. He had a three-game stretch with 20-plus points and was a +16 in a win over Milwaukee - one of the best teams in the East. That kind of production should buy you some leash, right?
Instead, his minutes dropped in the very next game against Detroit, and he logged just 16 minutes against the Clippers after that. It’s been a downward trend ever since.
The frustrating part isn’t just the minutes - it’s the mixed signals. At times, it seems like Spoelstra wants to lean into Ware’s potential.
Other times, it feels like he’s being used as a message board for the team’s broader issues. And for a young player trying to find his footing, that kind of inconsistency can be tough to navigate.
The Trade Question That Won’t Go Away
What adds another layer to all of this is the offseason context. Miami reportedly held firm on keeping Ware out of trade talks this summer, clearly seeing him as a key piece for the future. But if that’s the case, where’s the developmental runway now?
If Ware isn’t part of the solution, and his role continues to shrink, it raises real questions about Miami’s long-term plan - not just for him, but for a roster that’s been teetering between contention and retooling for the last few seasons.
What’s Next?
Knowing how this season has gone for both Ware and the Heat, don’t be surprised if he drops 25 points against the Nets and flips the narrative again. That’s been the rhythm of his rookie year: flashes of brilliance followed by stretches of uncertainty.
But if that bounce-back doesn’t come soon, Miami will have to reckon with what’s become of the confident, free-flowing player they saw in November - and whether they’re giving him the tools to get back there.
For now, all eyes are on Spoelstra and Ware. Because if the Heat want to regain their early-season form, they’ll need to figure out whether their young big man is part of the problem - or part of the solution.