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Although Bam Adebayo and Tyler Herro have been staples of the Miami Heat for several years now, the franchise is entering a new, distinct era following its messy divorce with Jimmy Butler. Beyond the two aforementioned All-Stars, this team needs young players to fully embrace the fabled Heat Culture and deliver on the court. Kel'el Ware has been answering the call, and he especially did so on Sunday night.
The rookie center performed admirably in a 116-112 overtime loss versus the visiting New York Knicks, posting 10 points, six rebounds and a whopping five blocks in the first half. He suffered an apparent leg injury at the end of the third quarter and nearly missed the entire fourth, preventing him from significantly improving upon those impressive numbers (12 points, eight boards and six blocks in 26 minutes), or helping Miami win the game.
Even so, Ware still left many fans in awe with the sizable impact he made in the Kaseya Center. They had a triple-double on their mind, and a rare one at that. “WHO DOIN IT WITH BLOCKS!?” @SilverTJC remarked on X. “Buy your Kel’el Ware stock now,” Heat Nation posted. “Kel’el Ware said welcome to his Block Party,” @JaFleuTheArtist commented. “Ladies and Gentlemen, Kel’el ‘The Kryptonian' Ware doing fancy dunks!!!!” @JaFleuTheArtist also said, referencing the big man's Superman-inspired nickname.
Kel'el Ware figures to be a key part of the revamped Heat
All of the enthusiasm greatly diminished after returning Knicks center Mitchell Robinson fell on Ware's leg in the third. The No. 15 pick in the NBA Draft did return but was unable to help lift the Heat to victory, as they blew a 19-point lead.
The good news, though, is that he seemingly avoided a serious injury. A healthy Ware is critical for Miami (28-30), as he now has 55 rebounds across his last five games.
The former Big Ten All-Defensive selection (Indiana) will look to feast on the Washington Wizards (11-48) on Monday, assuming he is good to go.
