Opinion: Miami Heat Should Make Move to Kel'el Ware-Bam Adebayo Combo

Kel'el Ware should not be fourth big man to enter the game.

Oct 13, 2024; Miami, Florida, USA; Miami Heat center Kel'el Ware (7) battles for possession against New Orleans Pelicans forward Jamal Cain (8) and center Trey Jemison (55) during the fourth quarter at Kaseya Center. / Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

Kel'el Ware was not drafted in the first round to be the third or fourth big man in the Miami Heat's rotation.

However, it looks as if it is shaping up as such if Heat coach Erik Spoelstra keeps the same rotation as the preseason.

Ware should at least be the first option off the bench.

The big man from Little Rock, Arkansas was drafted out of Indiana to spell Bam Adebeyo at center. Adebayo can then move to power forward, providing two powerful big men on the floor.

It seems forward Nikola Jovic is firmly entrenched as the starting power forward.

It would be interesting to see how complementary Adebayo and Ware could be on the floor together,

Ware scored 13 points, had five rebounds, one assist, four blocks and two steals across 17 minutes in the preseason opener against the Charlotte Hornets. Ware had the most points off the bench and led the team in blocks.

He played with the fourth unit.

Kevin Love and Thomas Bryant are seeing action before Ware. This might be a preseason attempt to see what Love and Bryant have to offer, or it just might be a mistake.

Against New Orleans on Sunday afternoon, Ware played with the third unit consisting of fellow 2024 draft choice Pelle Larsson, Nassir Little, Josh Christopher and Zyon Pullin.

Ware still scored six points in 14 minutes, on 2-of-5 shooting. He also had five rebounds.

Scott Salomon is a contributor to Miami Heat On SI. He can be reached at sas@southfloridamedianetwork.com.

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