Two games into the preseason slate for the Miami Heat, and there are reasons to have concerns. Notably, the lack of true ball handlers is apparent as Miami committed 13 turnovers in the first half against Milwaukee.
But there have been some bright spots along the way, and one of them has been the play of Kel'el Ware. And there is one component of his game he has been trying to work on this preseason that could unlock an array of possibilities for the Heat.
Kel'el Ware is starting to hit from downtown
Last year, Ware was tasked with being a true center to allow Bam Adebayo to roam around a bit more when the two were paired together. For his rookie campaign, Ware wound up making a total of 35 three-pointers for the entire season.
This tracked with what he did in college, where he essentially averaged 0.5 made three-point shots per game during his two years split between Oregon and Indiana.
But in a game only the most dedicated of Heat fans paid attention to, Ware's Summer League finale opened the door for a greater green light. Back on July 14 against Boston, Ware wound up playing a bit of the 4 spot as UDFA Vladislav Goldin played as a true center.
The end result was Ware going 3-3 from three en route to a 21 points, 15 rebound game.
This preseason, Ware has already knocked down three shots from deep, including two against the Bucks on Monday night.
No one is expecting Miami to morph into the second coming of the Boston Celtics, but if Ware starts hitting from deep, it opens up so many possibilities for this offense.
Suppose opposing defenses have to come out and start respecting Ware from beyond the arc. In that case, the paint will begin to open up for Miami, in addition to creating some offensive rebounding opportunities now that the opposing 5 has been drawn out.
Ware's play through two games this preseason creates some intriguing decisions Erik Spoelstra is going to have to make, namely, how to handle the rotation of Ware, Adebayo, and Nikola Jovic.
But it would be a good problem for Miami to have if what we have seen in the last three games from Ware (including Summer League) isn't just a flash in the pan.