The biggest subplot to come out of the NBA Summer League for the Miami Heat has been Erik Spoelstra calling out Kel'el Ware. After three unimpressive games in the California Classic followed by a clunker to open Summer League, Spoelstra questioned the "professionalism" of Ware.
But since being called out, Ware has responded with two solid games in Las Vegas, and it was his role on the floor during the win against Boston that opens up a pathway for Miami to mimic the blueprint the Oklahoma City Thunder just followed to win a title.
Miami has the pieces to mimic Oklahoma City
Most lineup projections for Miami in 2025-26 have Ware playing as a true center to allow Bam Adebayo to play as a 4 on the floor. But on Monday night, it was Ware playing the 4 at times while Vladislav Goldin, the UDFA who had been outplaying Ware, acted as the true center.
Miami experimented with having both seven-footers on the floor at the same time, and Ware showcased he does have the shooting range to be a 4.
As part of his 21-point, 15-rebound performance, Ware was 3-3 from three.
Who knows what Goldin's long-term future with the Heat looks like, but Ware playing the 4 starts to open up the possibilities of Miami copying the blueprint the Oklahoma City Thunder set, and putting out a lineup so big that few teams have the ability to match it.
As a hypothetical, given Adebayo's versatility, Miami could roll out a lineup of:
1 - Davion Mitchell
2- Tyler Herro
3- Bam Adebayo
4 - Kel'el Ware
5 - Vladislav Goldin
Obviously, Goldin is the wildcard in this scenario who would need to continue to develop, and it creates an awkward rotation to fit in Andrew Wiggins and Norman Powell, but it is representative of what is possible down the road.
Because the reality for the Heat is that without a true superstar on the team, they are going to need to find ways to create mismatches with their opponents.
And what better way to create a mismatch than to mimic what the current NBA champions used to raise a banner?