MIAMI – Despite the Miami Heat missing newly announced All-Star Norman Powell, the team came out on Sunday night and dominated the Chicago Bulls with a 43-point win, 134-91. As rumors surround the Heat ahead of the trade deadline, another major storyline with the team surrounds young center Kel'el Ware and head coach Erik Spoelstra.
The 43-point win on Sunday, which is tied for the biggest win in terms of point margin in Miami history, came after Saturday's disappointing loss, which saw Ware play three minutes the entire game. Sunday was a different story as Ware recorded 17 points on eight of 15 shooting from the field to go along with six rebounds and a +25 on the floor.
Ware has become a recurring question asked to Spoelstra in post-game press conferences regarding his usage, with the head coach bringing him up unprompted this time around. He would speak about the “really solid minutes” he had, the areas he can build on, and Ware coming off a hamstring injury that had him miss four games in the last road trip.
“Since one of you guys will probably ask about Kel’el,” Spoelstra said. “Kel’el gave us really solid minutes tonight. I was encouraged by his defensive activity. He’s part of that young-gun crew, as well. And offensively, he moved the ball when he needed to, and he gave us the vertical spacing when he needed to. He shot the 3 when he needed to. So those things I think we can build on.”
“It was a little bit of an uneven 10 days, two weeks, since the injury, and then working him back into this,” Spoelstra continued. “But it’s good to have him get some extended minutes.”
Erik Spoelstra would speak about Kel’el Ware‘s positive minutes tonight:
“Since one of you will ask about Kel'el, he gave us really solid minutes tonight, I was encouraged by his defensive activity. Its good to have him get some extended minutes…“ #HeatNation
Full response: pic.twitter.com/aSR0F6GJ1G
— Zachary Weinberger (@ZachWeinberger) February 2, 2026
Heat's Erik Spoelstra on needing to coach the young players better
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Miami Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra directs his team during the first half against the Chicago Bulls at Kaseya Center.
Jim Rassol-Imagn Images
With the Heat star in Ware selected to the 2026 Rising Stars game, there's no denying that his playing time has been under a microscope all season in connection to Spoelstra's coaching. For Sunday, one could say Ware was always due more minutes, especially with Nikola Jovic out with a hip impingement, and how much of a blowout Sunday's game was, with starting center Bam Adebayo playing 22 minutes.
However, Spoelstra would also speak not just to Ware, but to the rest of the young players on the team, which, compared to other years, is more of this time around. He would mention that the whole team wants to do better, “And that includes the head coach.”
“I have to do a better job with this group,” Spoelstra said. “We have the potential that we can see. We have the explosiveness. We have the defense. And it’s a matter of consistency. And that’s what I’m here for, to be able to help that along with the veterans, to be able to help our consistency.”
“But also to hold the young guys accountable,” Spoelstra continued. “And we have more of ’em than we’ve had in recent history. But also develop them and infuse confidence in them. And that’s a fine balance, but, again, that’s what I’m here for, and I want to take that challenge, and I want to be better with that these final 30 games.”
Besides Ware, Spoelstra is tasked with coaching a bevy of young talent like Jovic, Jaime Jaquez Jr., Pelle Larsson, Kasparas Jakucionis, Myron Garder, and more. Miami as a whole looks to get better with the team at a 27-24 record, putting them eighth in the East, as their next game is Wednesday against the Atlanta Hawks.