Over the past few weeks, many fans believe promising Miami Heat youngster Kel'el Ware has not received enough minutes. He is one of the most talented players on the Heat roster, which has led to people wanting more from him.
Unfortunately, Ware has not received the minutes that people think he should be playing. On Sunday, against the Chicago Bulls, Ware performed extremely well in only 18 minutes.
Spoelstra addresses Ware's inconsistent minutes
Ware is averaging 22.6 minutes this season, but recently, he has not been playing those minutes. The 18 minutes he played against the Bulls are the most he has played since he played the same amount against the Golden State Warriors seven games ago.
Against the Bulls, Ware had 17 points and six rebounds. It was the type of performance that people want to keep seeing from him. He is always waiting for an opportunity with his minutes, which Spoelstra is well aware of now.
MORE:Heat coach Erik Spoelstra explains why Kel'el Ware saw limited action in Magic loss
Over the last few weeks, there has been a bizarre dynamic between Spoelstra and Ware. From the outside, it can appear like Spoelstra is picking on Ware by not giving him enough minutes.
Spoelstra has seen and heard the criticism, which has led him to address it after the Heat blew out the Bulls on Sunday night.
"We all just want to do better, and that includes the head coach. I have to do a better job with this group. We have the potential we can see, it's a matter of consistency, and that's what I'm here for," Spoelstra said after the Bulls game.
"Also, to hold the young guys accountable, and we have more of them than in recent history, but also develop them and infuse confidence in them. That's a fine balance, but that's what I'm here for. I want to take that challenge and be better with thatin these final 30 games."
Since he is taking accountability for how he has been treating Ware's minutes, this is a good sign. The Bulls game was a blowout result, but it should also mean that Ware can get enough minutes when the stakes are higher.
It will still be a lengthy situation between coach and player, but Ware is hungry. Spoelstra should take advantage of that and give him as many opportunities as he wants.
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