MIAMI – With the Miami Heat showing some encouraging signs, despite the 0-2 start in the preseason before Wednesday's contest against the San Antonio Spurs, the one storyline fans are following surrounds Kel'el Ware. As Heat fans wonder if Ware will start for the team, head coach Erik Spoelstra ran through the steps he wants to see from the young star, who's entering his second season.
In Monday night's 103-93 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks in the preseason, Ware once again came off the bench and recorded 18 points and 13 rebounds, though he recorded a -20 on the floor. Spoelstra would emphasize Ware making winning plays on a consistent level, and highlighted to ClutchPoints a three-to-four-minute stretch that impressed him, stating “short-term goals” was the game plan.
“It'll be like short-term goals. A plus-20, it may or may not be that, it's about, whenever he's in the game, make an impact,” Spoelstra said in his pre-game press conference before Wednesday's outing against the Spurs. “And I was really encouraged by that three-to-four-minute stretch, you know, I watched it again a couple times. We watched it with him. Everything about it was winning basketball. Even the drive was with force, and they called it travel. That may or may not have been a travel, but there was a force to that.”
“Defensively, he was up on all his coverages, he was rebounding, doing things with a spirit, communicated once with Myron [Gardner], vociferously about a matchup, and that's the kind of passion and intent that we would like to see more consistently,” Spoelstra continued. “And that's young players in this league. There aren't many young players that come into this league that are impacting winning right away. It's a process.”
Asked Erik Spoelstra about Kel’el Ware’s outing last game and the need for more winning plays. Mentioned how “short-term goals” are the emphasis.
Would say he watched again that 3-4 minute segment in the second half that wowed him. Full response: #HeatNation pic.twitter.com/BCx8Bddue2
— Zachary Weinberger (@ZachWeinberger) October 8, 2025
Heat's Erik Spoelstra continues to challenge Kel'el Ware
While the Heat relationship between Spoelstra and Ware has been under a magnifying glass since challenging him on improving his “professionalism,” the head coach sees major potential in the center, who is still 21 years old. At this point, Ware is a walking double-double, but Spoelstra wants to see more, as he said after the loss to the Bucks.
“I’m not looking at the stat line,” Spoelstra said. “I think everybody is looking at the wrong thing. It’s got to impact the game. I want him the next game to be a plus 20. That’s what it’s about. That’s part of the maturation for a young player. He does really good things, and then when you aren’t able to do it consistently, it doesn’t impact the game. You don’t want to have deflating plays. You want to have inspiring plays.”
“There was a three-minute segment where it actually impacted the game. The rest of it has to impact the game,” Spoelstra continued. “That steal he had at half-court was an inspiring play that impacted the moment. There was probably a three-minute stretch there. I want to take that three-minute stretch and see what his plus-minus was on that because it impacted the game.”
Erik Spoelstra spoke about Kel’el Ware’s performance tonight and the impactful moments that he did have. Despite the double-double, spoke about a three-minute stretch that truly impacted the game. #HeatNation pic.twitter.com/Py8pt7iQ6Q
— Zachary Weinberger (@ZachWeinberger) October 7, 2025
Last season, Ware was a mainstay in the starting lineup in the second half of the schedule, headlining an exciting front court with Bam Adebayo, leading to him earning a spot on the NBA's All-Rookie second team. However, there is more work to be done as Ware has the preseason to prepare for until the regular season opener on Oct. 22 against the Orlando Magic.
