With the Miami Heat taking on the Orlando Magic on Tuesday night in the NBA Cup quarterfinals, the team is looking to snap its three-game skid and get out of the current funk it is in. Looking to bounce back after the Heat's bad loss to the Sacramento Kings last Saturday, there is one aspect about the team that could make them dangerous in the pairing of Bam Adebayo and Kel'el Ware.
While that frontcourt duo started a good majority of the second half in the 2024-25 season, which led to exciting results, the output this season has been middling. When the two have been on the floor with one another this season, Miami has been outscored by 12.5 points per 100 possessions in the 123 minutes they're together.
Also having the worst net rating among the team's two-man combinations, per The Miami Herald, head coach Erik Spoelstra would challenge the pairing after Monday's practice.
“I just want to see that group, when we play bigger, just for it to be a plus,” Spoelstra said. “So we have some work to do there. It should be a very good defensive group, but that’s a group that hasn’t been able to defend so far, and we’ve got to continue to work at that.”
Erik Spoelstra sees potential in exciting Heat frontcourt
As the Heat captain in Adebayo has sent messages to Ware and has been a mentor figure for the 22-year-old center, there's no denying the talent he has as an athletic seven-foot big man. With how elite Adebayo is, mixed with Ware's ability, Spoelstra sees the potential.
“It’s about, ultimately, the scoreboard,” Spoelstra said. “So defensively, I see it as a pairing that could really be good defensively. Recover ground, rebound really well, protect the rim really well. So far, it hasn’t necessarily been that. Offensively, I’m willing to work through it because it changes some of the driving angles. But I’m willing to do that as long as it defends at a high level.”
Ware, who has had up-and-down stretches this season, mentioned being “locked in” and wanting to prove to Spoelstra that the two-big lineup can work. For Adebayo, the message remains that he and Ware “need to take it personal” that Spoelstra is challenging them and wants to try other lineups.
At any rate, it remains to be seen what lineups Spoelstra brings out for Tuesday's quarterfinals NBA Cup game against the Magic as Miami gets key players back from injury, like Tyler Herro and Davion Mitchell.
