NBA
Miami’s Kel’el Ware needed a ‘wake-up call’ from Erik Spoelstra to finish summer league strong
Zach Wolpin is an NBA and NFL expert who's been betting on the league for over three years now. Wolpin has been a fan of the NBA and has been watching for a decade and a half. He covers the latest news and stories surrounding the league daily. His passion in life is watching sports and being able to share that through his sports writing. He has written about the NBA and other sports leagues through various media outlets over the years like Sir Charles In Charge, G-Men HQ, and TAP into South Plainfield. Before he became an NBA News Writer, Wolpin attended Montclair State University where he graduated in 2021. He studied Sports Media and Writing while in school.
All posts by Zach WolpinUpdated2 hours ago on July 18, 2025
With a loss to the Pistons on Thursday, the Heat are 1-3 summer league. Their final game is Friday vs. the Milwaukee Bucks. Miami is known for developing players, and that’s what they’re attempting to do with big man Kel’el Ware.
The 2024-25 season was his rookie year with the Heat. Ware played in 64 of their 82 games and made 36 starts. By the second half of the season, he was a full-time starter for the Heat. This offseason, Ware is participating in the summer league again to build his skillset. Recently, head coach Erik Spoelstra had to give Ware a “wake-up call” to finish summer league strong.
Miami would love to see Kel’el Ware take the next step in his development
Spo makes it clear that Kel’el Ware needs to improve his “professionalism.” How he approaches every day, playing with force, what he does in the gym, etc.
Strong and purposeful statement from Spo. Here’s a clip: pic.twitter.com/y2t1TgeN5f
— Wes Goldberg (@wcgoldberg) July 12, 2025
Next year will be Erik Spoelstra’s 18th season as head coach of the Heat. He started as a video coordinator with the team in 1995 and worked his way through the ranks. His 787 wins in the regular season rank 17th all-time in the NBA. As head coach, he’s made the playoffs in 14 of his 17 seasons so far. Spoelstra is a legend in Miami and knows what it takes to win a championship.
That’s why he recently had to call out second-year pro Kel’el Ware. He wants to see more “professionalism” from Ware in his day-to-day work habits. This includes eating right, working out in the gym, and putting in the work on the court. Miami has a high standard compared to other franchises in the league. Kel’el Ware has the tools to be a successful player, and the Heat are trying to bring that out of him.
Kel’el ware in back to back games
21 9 3blks
21 15 2 blks
He primed for a year 2 leap pic.twitter.com/kSpxTJigKL— KEE⚡️ (@playoffskee) July 15, 2025
After the big man was called out by his head coach, Ware responded with two dominant performances. Over a two-game span, he averaged 21.0 points, 12.0 rebounds, and two blocks on .550% shooting from the field. Ware had 21 points and 15 rebounds in one of those outings. The young center has shown his ability to be a force down low when he’s fully locked in.
The Heat needs that type of consistency for all 82 games in the regular season. Miami let Kel’el Ware adjust to play in the NBA during his rookie season. In year two, they’re asking him to take the next step forward. He’s an elite frontcourt pairing with Bam Adebayo. Both are elite defensive presences who can also take over offensively. How effective will Kel’el Ware be in his second professional season?
