As the Miami Heat beat the Cleveland Cavaliers on Wednesday night, 120-103, it snapped the team's five-game skid that featured a ton of positive elements, including a standout outing from one young star. The Heat's win showcased Kel'el Ware having an impressive performance, which garnered an extraordinary reaction from guard Norman Powell.
Besides Powell coming back to the starting lineup with Tyler Herro, Davion Mitchell, Andrew Wiggins, and Bam Adebayo, Ware was the other standout in recording a season-high for him in plus/minus with +32. To go along with an impactful stat line of 13 points, 11 rebounds, four assists, and a block against a team in Cleveland that he has struggled against in the past, Powell would say that Ware has “generational talent.”
“He has that type of game. I mean, we’ve seen it multiple times this season,” Powell said after scoring a team-high 19 points, via The Heat Realm on X, formerly Twitter. “He’s a good generational talent. It’s just about his mindset every single day when he steps on that floor.”
Norman Powell praises Kel’el Ware and calls him a generational talent👀
“We’ve seen it multiple times this season so it’s good that coaches trusts him to put him in and play him extended minutes in that 4Q…he’s a good generational talent — it’s just about his mindset every… pic.twitter.com/l63SIv8Hfi
— The HEAT Realm (@WadexFlash) March 26, 2026
Kel'el Ware's impact with the Heat can't go understated
While the Heat came into Wednesday's game with a five-game losing streak, the urgency of the team was on full display, as with under 10 games left in the regular season, Miami is still trying to escape the play-in tournament. Ware's performance was vastly needed, especially since good outings from him usually result in wins as the Heat are 23-2 when the second-year center has positive minutes, compared to 11-30 when negative.
“Let’s do that more often,” Spoelstra said, via the team's YouTube channel. “He’s taking it to heart; he wants it right now. So in some of these games where it just hasn’t gone necessarily his way or our way during those minutes when he’s in the game, he’s just coming back the next day and trying to correct it and be better. And for a young guy, that’s what you want.”
Ware and Miami look to build off Wednesday as they have a rematch against the Cavs on Friday, as the team is 39-34, putting them eighth in the Eastern Conference.
