After a career night, Miami Heat Erik Spoelstra said that Kel'el Ware shouldn't be hunting for 3-pointers. Even on a night that ended on a sour note, as the Heat lost to the Boston Celtics, those comments were completely out of line.
Ware finished with a season-high 24 points and 14 rebounds on 6-7 shooting from 3-point range. It wasn't enough for the supremely injured Heat to overcome the Celtics, but it was one of the best performances of his career.
To be called out after such a performance is not something that was expected. In fact, it shouldn't have been something that even happened. There are times when things should be kept in-house. I'd imagine this was one of those cases for the Heat.
Erik Spoelstra's comments on Kel'el Ware were unfair
There was nothing to be accomplished with this comment from Spo. Sometimes you have to let your young players have their moments. Even in a loss, this was one of those opportunities for Spo. Instead, he took the opportunity to be overly critical of Ware. And I don't think it was the right move.
Spo is arguably the best coach in the league, but his recent criticisms (and handling) of Ware may have gotten a little too far this time around.
This only adds to the list of times that Spo has publicly called out Ware. At a certain point, it could have a negative impact on Ware. I'm not sure if this is it, but it wouldn't be surprising if it was.
Ware just had one of the best performances of his career, and it has to feel as if it wasn't enough for Spo. In that light, there has to be some element of "is there anything I can do that will make Spo happy?"
Kel'el Ware responds to Spo
Ware was asked about the comments, and his response was rather interesting.
Kel’el Ware responding to Spo’s comments on his 3-point attempts:
— Hot Hot Hoops (@hothothoops) December 20, 2025
“I felt like I was in a rhythm so i was comfortable letting them go. I mean, most of my game is up under the basket, so whenever I do step out I don’t feel like it’s ever a wrong time.” pic.twitter.com/qSZQv02I8f
And that's a dangerous line that Spo is officially trying to walk with his most recent comments on Ware.
Maybe it was frustration from Spo spilling over. After all, the team is in a free-fall down the Eastern Conference standings, having lost seven of their last nine games. They're also having to deal with injuries to Tyler Herro, Davion Mitchell, Andrew Wiggins, and Pelle Larsson.
In the midst of all that are the natural trade whispers that are only growing louder as we inch closer to the deadline.
Understandably, Spo is under a ton of pressure, and the team is seeming to tear at the seams at the worst possible moment. Still, that shouldn't excuse him from making some out-of-line comments. And that's what it felt like last night with his post-game comments on Ware.