Kel'el Ware, Miami Heat
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Kel'el Ware, Miami Heat
The Miami Heat fell to the Boston Celtics on Thursday, 119-114. Erik Spoelstra’s team had been in control for most of the game; however, a monster performance from Anfernee Simons saw Boston pull ahead late.
Multiple members of Miami’s second unit struggled on the offensive end, collectively making 5-of-22 of their shot attempts.
During his postgame news conference, head coach Erik Spoelstra pinpointed Kel’el Ware’s performance as a noticeable issue. The veteran head coach even suggested that the sophomore big man played poorly on purpose because of his limited playing time lately.
“I get it with young players — you sometimes subconsciously play poorly to say ‘hey, I’ll play poorly until you give me the minutes I think I deserve,’” Spolestra said before sending a quick warning. “That’s not how this works.”
Ware’s minutes have steadily declined over the last five games. He’s gone from playing 28 minutes against the Minnesota Timberwolves to just 9 minutes against Boston. Clearly, Spoelstra is trying to force some improvements from the second-year big man, although his methods don’t appear to be having the desired results, at least for now.
Spoelstra Wants Ware To Regain His Production
During the same news conference, Spoelstra urged Ware to rediscover the level of production he was displaying earlier in the season.
“With Kel’el, I know that’s a lightning rod topic,” Spoelstra said. “He needs to get back to where he was seven or eight weeks ago, where I felt, and everybody in the building felt, he was stacking good days. He’s stacking days in the wrong direction now. Make sure you’re ready and play the minutes you’re playing to the point I want to play you more.”
When he’s engaged and playing at a high level, Ware is an exciting rim-running prospect. He can score around the rim, provide vertical spacing and be a shot deterrent on defense. However, like most young centers, Ware is prone to mistakes and to working through cold stretches.
Ware ended the night with 3 points and 5 rebounds, shooting 1-of-5 from the field, with four of those attempts coming from behind the arc. He was benched for the second half of Miami’s loss to the Celtics.
Heat’s Bam Adebayo Urges Ware To Find Motivation
When speaking to the media as part of his own postgame news conference, veteran big man Bam Adebayo shared his own thoughts on Ware’s current situation and the decline he’s displayed in recent weeks.
“Don’t let stuff like this be the motivation,” Adebayo said. “Discipline every day is what beats motivation. You can be motivated for 2-3 games, then go on a run and be up and down. Discipline makes you consistent. My message to him is be as consistent as possible.”
There’s no doubt that Ware is a talented prospect. However, his current dip appears to be more than a sophomore slump. He’s in his second year of the NBA. By now, he will understand what’s expected of him when he puts on a Heat jersey.
Spoelstra is arguably the best head coach in the NBA. Ware would be wise to listen to the advice being given to him. After all, he needs to impress Spoelstra if he wants to get back on track.