For months, all of Heat Nation had to bite their tongue with the limited role from newly drafted 7-foot rookie Kel’el Ware. But Sunday’s win against the San Antonio Spurs sparked a new era of Miami Heat basketball.
After working himself from DNP’s to reserve minutes, the next step of Ware’s patient development route took place— extended run alongside his All-Star teammate Bam Adebayo.
The long awaited vision seemed to have finally come to fruition. Between the duo’s two-way versatility, Adebayo slid to the power forward position for the first time since the Meyers Leonard era in 2019-20. And the product on the court looked as great as everybody was hoping for.
Ware didn’t hold back on his excitement postgame, stating that he and Adebayo have both “been wanting it to happen.”
Kel'el on the line-up w/ him & Bam:
— Naveen Ganglani (@naveenganglani) January 19, 2025
"It was exciting. Me and Bam been wanting for it to happen. Just for it to happen, we had to make the best of it for the first time, so we could show people what it looks like a little bit." pic.twitter.com/pRwbHsu2qm
Even more encouraging to hear, his new frontcourt partner in Adebayo is also on board with coach Erik Spoelstra’s latest lineup experiment. The big man was all smiles when talking to the media about the defensive advantages of the pairing.
Talked to Bam Adebayo about the pairing with Ware and how much he enjoys it defensively:
— Brady Hawk (@BradyHawk305) January 19, 2025
“Back to switching a little bit, guarding my yard. Not being in a drop zone all year. It’s a good switch up for us.” pic.twitter.com/8I232uAuZt
Lastly, Spoelstra addressed his willingness to continue exploring the dynamic between this duo.
"If I have to lean into this thing defensively right now for our team to get to another level, I will,” Spoelstra said. “That could be a path where we could find higher success on one side of the floor, then we'll figure it out on the other side."
At the end of the day, Miami is well positioned to now reap the benefits of this drastic rotation change. Not only does it make the talented and hungry Ware a more featured part of the lineup, but it is going to make Adebayo’s job easier. Giving a first team All-Defensive anchor the freedom to roam on the perimeter and weak side is only going to make the Heat’s defense more dominant.
Adebayo’s versatile 6-foot-9 frame makes him arguably the greatest switch big in the entire association with his ability to guard 1-5.
Now that he has Ware’s own size to protect the paint when those switches unfold, the Heat will benefit from having that insurance throughout the game.
As for Ware, he wasted no time in seizing this opportunity. The rookie led Miami with a game-high 25 points, 8 rebounds and 2 blocks on 53% shooting against the Spurs. The Heat outscored San Antonio by 27 points in Ware’s season-high 34 minutes.
One of the best games of @KelelWare's young career.
— Miami HEAT (@MiamiHEAT) January 19, 2025
Here's what happened ⤵️ pic.twitter.com/lvYWDmwIPM
His ability to stretch the floor as a 40% 3-point shooter will go a long way in making the duo with Adebayo work longer term. Although Ware opened the second half of the previous game with the rest of the starters, it is still unclear whether he will remain with the first unit.
However, the encouraging stint with the two playing next to each other made the team look significantly better in those minutes. Hopefully, this is just the beginning of their potential season-altering combination together.