It's become abundantly clear over the last few weeks that Miami Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra still doesn't know exactly how to utilize this roster to its maximum potential. And that's an unacceptable problem that the team needs to work out quickly.
The biggest point of evidence that points to this is the fact that Kel'el Ware had his first assist opportunity with Bam Adebayo on the other end of it on New Year's Day. In other words, Bam didn't shoot a ball passed from Ware until roughly three months into the start of the season.
That tells me the Ware and Bam pairing is still very much a work in progress and that Spo hasn't figured out how to make it work. And fans can't be happy with that.
Especially considering that one of the most exciting parts of the Heat's season entering this year revolved around the idea of a Bam-Ware frontcourt thriving, and it's disappointing that we're practically at the midway point of the season, and it hasn't looked great.
That doesn't mean that it won't, but the fact that Spo hasn't figured out a way to make it work is a problem.
How could this front office get a good gauge of what this team is and what it isn't if Spo still hasn't ironed out all the wrinkles for this team? It's a fair question to ask.
The Heat need to solve the Ware-Bam frontcourt issues
And even though Spo is widely considered one of the best coaches in the league, if not at the top of that list, he's not above criticism.
Spo has done a ton right this season. The fact that the Heat is 20-16 at this point of the year is nothing short of magical. However, the Bam-Ware frontcourt experiment still hasn't progressed to the point where it should be.
Spo has to take that blame.
In theory, this is a combination that should work. And, this season, it's looked more shaky than it has looked great.
You can look at the numbers and see that Bam and Ware have a negative net rating when they share the floor together, and that's a conversation in itself to have. However, the fact that they don't even have the chemistry to pass that often with each other, in an offense that is predicated on ball movement, that's...pretty bad.
The good news is Spo has time to work these issues out over the second half of the year.
One thing is clear, though, and it's the fact that this probably is something that should already be solved by now. And Spo, as great as he is in almost every other area of coaching, has to take some blame here. He must solve this issue as soon as possible.