As the Miami Heat [begin to trust](https://allucanheat.com/heat-has-no-choice-but-to-take-training-wheels-off-kel-el-ware) Kel'el Ware more, he must prove that he can repay the team with much more consistency. It's his one lingering issue that, if solved, could help transform the Heat from a pretty good team to one that could make a push for the top seed in the Eastern Conference.
When he's locked in and engaged, it's easy to see Ware's potential. At the same time, those big games from Ware also make his low-energy games and "dud" performances that much more frustrating for the fan base.
When Ware is playing at the peak of his powers, he's one of the most athletic and unique big man talents in the league. With the way he's looked at times this season, I can't imagine there's much pushback to that.
Kel'el Ware may have turned the corner in his development
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The good news, of course, is that over the last few weeks of the season, it's been much more good than bad for Ware. He'll certainly need to continue to back that up, especially as an unproven young player, but the results recently have certainly been promising of late.
The Heat have gotten off to a strong start to the year, and the rest of the season certainly looks encouraging - even as they [work through some of their growing pains](https://allucanheat.com/heat-gets-rude-awakening-after-being-humbled-by-top-seeded-pistons) now that Tyler Herro is back from injury.
But if Ware could take that next consistent step in his development, and truly make the leap to stardom, it would absolutely change the way the rest of the league views the Heat.
Not only would Ware take significant pressure off Bam Adebayo in the frontcourt, but he'd also help give the team an answer at the center position that they simply haven't had in a very long time.
Ware is so valuable to the Heat because he gives them so much more flexibility when he's playing at a high level. Ware gives Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra the ability to play small, fast, big, or slow. With his size and athleticism, he's also just beginning to scratch the surface of his potential on the defensive end of the floor.
There's a reason why the Heat were so high on Ware when it seemed like no one else in the league saw it; slowly, we're all beginning to see why.
Ware is the one young player who can drastically alter the ceiling for the team this season. But in order for him to accomplish that, he'll need to solve his biggest problem: inconsistency.
If he's able to do that, and the Ware that we've seen over the last couple of weeks is one to stay, it may be time to have a completely different conversation about the Heat.