<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/miami-heat/heats-erik-spoelstra-addresses-starting-kelel-ware-over-nikola-jovic-in-grizzlies-blowout');   ga('set', 'title', 'Heat’s Erik Spoelstra addresses starting Kel’el Ware over Nikola Jovic in Grizzlies blowout');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Kelel-Ware-on-October-24th-2025.jpg"><figcaption>Petre Thomas-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Heat’s Erik Spoelstra addresses starting Kel’el Ware over Nikola Jovic in Grizzlies blowout</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-10-25T15:00:30-07:00">October 25th, 3:00pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-10-25T15:00:30-07:00">October 25th, 3:00pm</time><address><a>Zachary Weinberger</a>Zachary Weinberger joined ClutchPoints in October 2023 as a Miami Heat reporter as well as an Associate Editor. He graduated from Florida Atlantic University in 2022 after covering the school's athletic programs since his freshman year at the FAU University Press, where he was a Sports Editor and Editor-in-Chief. He then covered FAU Sports for The Palm Beach Post.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Miami Heat</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>As the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/miami-heat/heat-news-bam-adebayo-miami-detail-new-fun-offense-in-blowout-win-vs-grizzlies">Miami Heat had a blowout win against the Memphis Grizzlies</a> on Friday night, 146-114, to get their first victory of the season, there was a certain lineup change that fans had been waiting for that could’ve led to the performance. With the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/miami-heat/heat-news-fans-flaming-grizzlies-near-40-point-halftime-deficit">Heat having a nearly 40-point lead at halftime</a>, it was a historic night as head coach Erik Spoelstra spoke on starting Kel’el Ware instead of Nikola Jovic.</p><p>That had been the question all training camp and preseason, as fans were wondering who would start alongside Bam Adebayo and headline Miami’s frontcourt. In the opening loss to the Orlando Magic, Spoelstra went with Jovic, but switched to Ware on Friday night, leading to the big win.</p><p>Granted, Miami’s offense looked good in both games, playing at a much faster pace, which was a key goal for the team throughout the offseason. In the preseason, Spoelstra started Jovic to start, but went to Ware in the later exhibition games due to an injury.</p><p>However, Spoelstra would reveal that he was <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D1VygdhcZWI" rel="noopener">“leaning”</a> in starting Ware in the opener, but the big man had dealt with neck spasms and an ankle injury going into the game.</p><p>“The last four days of preseason, both guys were hurt,” Spoelstra said, via the team’s YouTube page. “I’m talking about Kel’el and Niko [Jovic]. They were minor injuries. But I didn’t know who was going to be available that first night. I was kind of leaning toward this starting lineup going into game one. And then Kel’el had a neck spasm. Then he had a minor sprained ankle, where he didn’t practice the day before the game. But he was moving great in the Orlando game.”</p><h2><b>Heat’s Erik Spoelstra on utilizing Nikola Jovic, Kel’el Ware</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Nikola-Jovic-on-October-24th-2025.jpg"><figcaption>Petre Thomas-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>While the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/miami-heat/heat-news-bam-adebayo-does-best-stephen-curry-impression-4-1st-quarter-3s">Heat’s captain Bam Adebayo doing his best Stephen Curry impression</a> in lighting it up from three to start, putting Ware at the center does give Adebayo a chance to contribute more in the scoring department. Adebayo would score 18 of Miami’s first 25 points to finish with 24 points on the game as Ware had 19 points and nine rebounds.</p><p>Still, Jovic was a crucial player in the rorotationscoring 20 points off the bench to go along with six rebounds and four assists.</p><p>“This is a good way to get all three of those guys the minutes that we need in Bam and Kel’el and Niko,” Spoelstra said. “But we’ll see. There might be certain games where it makes more sense to start Niko. It doesn’t really matter in my mind. I know, probably to other people it might. But those guys are going to get minutes, and we need Kel’el and Niko to grow and assume more responsibilities as the season goes on.”</p><p>Jovic would say after the game that it was a “matchup” reason for him not starting, but emphasized he doesn’t mind where he plays. Fans will see how and if the starting lineup will change as the Heat takes on the New York Knicks on Sunday.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Heat’s Erik Spoelstra addresses starting Kel’el Ware over Nikola Jovic in Grizzlies blowout

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/miami-heat/heat-news-erik-spoelstra-downplays-challenging-kelel-ware-hard');   ga('set', 'title', 'Heat’s Erik Spoelstra downplays ‘challenging’ Kel’el Ware hard');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Erik-Spoelstra-and-Kelel-Ware-on-March-8-2025.jpg"><figcaption>Sam Navarro-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Heat’s Erik Spoelstra downplays ‘challenging’ Kel’el Ware hard</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-10-21T14:49:27-07:00">October 21st, 2:49pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-10-21T14:49:27-07:00">October 21st, 2:49pm</time><address><a>Zachary Weinberger</a>Zachary Weinberger joined ClutchPoints in October 2023 as a Miami Heat reporter as well as an Associate Editor. He graduated from Florida Atlantic University in 2022 after covering the school's athletic programs since his freshman year at the FAU University Press, where he was a Sports Editor and Editor-in-Chief. He then covered FAU Sports for The Palm Beach Post.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Miami Heat</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>While <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/miami-heat/heat-news-erik-spoelstras-encouraged-kelel-ware-admission-amidst-impressive-preseason">Miami Heat center Kel’el Ware had an impressive preseason</a>, there were a ton of narratives and storylines made about head coach Erik Spoelstra challenging the 21-year-old hard. Though the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/miami-heat/heat-news-how-kelel-ware-uses-erik-spoelstras-challenges-as-motivation">Heat star uses Spoelstra’s challenges</a>, the head coach believes that it’s been taken out of proportion.</p><p>In the offseason, Spoelstra would express that Ware needs to improve in his “professionalism” among other traits, a nugget that fans and the basketball world latched on to. Speaking after Tuesday’s practice, Spoelstra would downplay the storylines, saying that he did not <a href="https://www.sun-sentinel.com/2025/10/21/heat-a-work-in-progress-as-season-opens-spoelstra-clarifies-on-ware-jakucionis-out/" rel="noopener">“challenge him that strongly,”</a> while also mentioning that he has enjoyed watching Ware improve.</p><p>“I didn’t even challenge him that strongly,” Spoelstra said, according to The Sun Sentinel. “I just mentioned very matter of fact about his game, I like the progress he’s making. We’re going to continue to coach him and push him. We see the talent there. He really can add a lot to our team.</p><p>“He wants us to coach him and that’s what we owe him, for him to reach his full potential,” Spoelstra continued.</p><h2><b>Heat’s Erik Spoelstra on the Kel’el Ware, Bam Adebayo duo</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Kelel-Ware-on-Oct.jpg"><figcaption>Jim Rassol-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Though <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/miami-heat/heat-news-erik-spoelstra-unsure-on-starting-lineup-without-tyler-herro-heres-what-it-should-be">Ware’s starting for the Heat remains a question</a> for the season, the Indiana product is looking to build off what was an impressive rookie season, being selected to the NBA’s All-Rookie second team. He would eventually start for the majority of the second half of the season last year, headlining the front court with Bam Adebayo.</p><p>However, that hasn’t been the plan this preseason, as when healthy, Nikola Jovic has been with Adebayo in the front court, though Ware filled in when Jovic was injured. Spoelstra <a href="https://x.com/HeatCulture13/status/1980353115728810192" rel="noopener">would also downplay</a> any loss in chemistry in the Ware-Adebayo duo.</p><p>“I think they’re fine. Yeah, they’ve had some time now since training camp, and those minutes last year to play off each other,” Spoelstra said Monday. “They feel comfortable with it. So there’s some good things we can build on. For sure, we just don’t want them, like, taking up the same space, you know, that doesn’t do us any good. But they’re aware of it, and they’ve been working on it.”</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Coach Spo speaks on the Bam and Ware lineup, also not committed to a starting lineup yet</p><p>“I’m still deciding, we’ll figure it out. Whatever the starting lineup is for game one it might not be for game two”</p><p>Also says “depth” is one of this teams best strengths</p><p>(Via <a href="https://twitter.com/MiamiHEAT?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@MiamiHEAT</a>)… <a href="https://t.co/CzE0pSg1Tt">pic.twitter.com/CzE0pSg1Tt</a></p><p>— Heat Culture (@HeatCulture13) <a href="https://twitter.com/HeatCulture13/status/1980353115728810192?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 20, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>At any rate, Ware is questionable for Miami’s opener on Wednesday night against the Orlando Magic, with a left ankle sprain.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Heat’s Erik Spoelstra downplays ‘challenging’ Kel’el Ware hard

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/miami-heat/heat-news-erik-spoelstras-encouraged-kelel-ware-admission-amidst-impressive-preseason');   ga('set', 'title', 'Erik Spoelstra’s ‘encouraged’ Kel’el Ware admission amidst impressive Heat preseason');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Kelel-Ware-on-Oct-12-2025.jpg"><figcaption>Matt Pendleton-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Erik Spoelstra’s ‘encouraged’ Kel’el Ware admission amidst impressive Heat preseason</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-10-13T14:38:37-07:00">October 13th, 2:38pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-10-13T14:38:37-07:00">October 13th, 2:38pm</time><address><a>Zachary Weinberger</a>Zachary Weinberger joined ClutchPoints in October 2023 as a Miami Heat reporter as well as an Associate Editor. He graduated from Florida Atlantic University in 2022 after covering the school's athletic programs since his freshman year at the FAU University Press, where he was a Sports Editor and Editor-in-Chief. He then covered FAU Sports for The Palm Beach Post.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Miami Heat</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>As <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/miami-heat/heat-news-how-kelel-ware-uses-erik-spoelstras-challenges-as-motivation">Miami Heat star Kel’el Ware has been challenged</a> by head coach Erik Spoelstra throughout the offseason, training camp, and currently in preseason, the motivation has no doubt led to development and success. While the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/miami-heat/heat-news-erik-spoelstra-lays-out-goals-kelel-ware-sophomore-season">Heat center has goals for his sophomore season</a>, he had another impressive preseason performance that led to praise from Spoelstra.</p><p>Though winless in preseason, there have been many bright spots like Ware in the 120-104 loss to the Orlando Magic, who scored a game-high 24 points on nine of 17 shooting from the field, two of four from deep, to go along with 10 rebounds. Coming off multiple double-double outings, Spoelstra said he is <a href="https://www.miamiherald.com/sports/nba/miami-heat/article312479066.html" rel="noopener">“encouraged”</a> by the progress he’s making as it goes far beyond the statsheet, according to The Miami Herald.</p><p>“I’m encouraged by it,” Spoelstra said. “Look, everybody has so much attention on him and what I’m going to say about him. He’s getting better. You can see the talent.”</p><p>“I would much rather coach somebody who’s willing to be coached, who can put up 24 [points] and 10 [rebounds], and figure out how to get those winning moments during the course of a game,” Spoelstra said. “That’s where we are.”</p><h2><b>Heat’s Erik Spoelstra on playing Kel’el Ware with Bam Adebayo</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Kelel-Ware-on-March-31-2025.jpg"><figcaption>Reggie Hildred-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>With the speculation of <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/miami-heat/heat-news-kelel-ware-drops-honest-take-on-chance-to-start-for-miami">whether the Heat will start Ware this upcoming season</a>, that remains to be seen, but he has no doubt impressed Spoelstra in not just racking up points and rebounds, but playing winning basketball. Spoelstra would highlight Ware’s presence on the offensive glass that impressed him.</p><p>“He did some impressive things,” Spoelstra said. “I love the way he was on the offensive glass, and we’ll just continue to work with him.”</p><p>Last season, Ware started a majority of games in the second half of the season, headlining a front court with Bam Adebayo that ended up being productive. However, they have yet to log any minutes this preseason, with either Jovic starting alongside Adebayo, and on Sunday, that saw Ware started when the All-Star was inactive.</p><p>“Well, we did see some good moments with them last year and I’ll continue to be open to it,” Spoelstra said. “We’re looking at some other things right now, but all things are on the table.”</p><p>Fans will have to wait and see if Spoelstra ends up starting Ware along with Adebayo, but the Heat is preparing for the regular season on Oct. 22 against the Orlando Magic.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Erik Spoelstra’s ‘encouraged’ Kel’el Ware admission amidst impressive Heat preseason

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/miami-heat/heat-news-how-kelel-ware-uses-erik-spoelstras-challenges-as-motivation');   ga('set', 'title', 'How Heat’s Kel’el Ware uses Erik Spoelstra’s challenges as ‘motivation’');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Kelel-Ware-on-Oct.jpg"><figcaption>Jim Rassol-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>How Heat’s Kel’el Ware uses Erik Spoelstra’s challenges as ‘motivation’</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-10-09T14:12:08-07:00">October 9th, 2:12pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-10-09T14:12:47-07:00">October 9th, 2:12pm</time><address><a>Zachary Weinberger</a>Zachary Weinberger joined ClutchPoints in October 2023 as a Miami Heat reporter as well as an Associate Editor. He graduated from Florida Atlantic University in 2022 after covering the school's athletic programs since his freshman year at the FAU University Press, where he was a Sports Editor and Editor-in-Chief. He then covered FAU Sports for The Palm Beach Post.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Miami Heat</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>MIAMI – As <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/miami-heat/heat-news-erik-spoelstra-lays-out-goals-kelel-ware-sophomore-season">Miami Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra has laid out goals for Kel’el Ware</a>, who is heading into his sophomore season after an impressive rookie year, there’s no doubt that this preseason will be vital for his development. While the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/miami-heat/heat-news-how-a-natural-connection-between-up-and-coming-stars-creates-bright-future">young up-and-coming Heat star dominated</a> in Wednesday’s 112-107 preseason loss to the San Antonio Spurs, Ware seems to have taken Spoelstra’s challenges to heart.</p><p>In Monday’s 103-93 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks, Ware would have 18 points and 13 rebounds, but also sported a -21 on the floor, having questionable moments on both sides of the ball. It led to Spoelstra saying after the game that he looks beyond the stat line, saying he emphasizes game-winning plays, though he mentioned before Wednesday’s game to ClutchPoints that <a href="https://x.com/ZachWeinberger/status/1976046060289347995" rel="noopener">there was a three-to-four-minute stretch that impressed him.</a></p><p>“<a href="https://x.com/ZachWeinberger/status/1975387547670094233" rel="noopener">I’m not looking at the stat line</a>,” Spoelstra said after Monday’s outing. “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.”</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">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. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/HeatNation?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#HeatNation</a> <a href="https://t.co/Py8pt7iQ6Q">pic.twitter.com/Py8pt7iQ6Q</a></p><p>— Zachary Weinberger (@ZachWeinberger) <a href="https://twitter.com/ZachWeinberger/status/1975387547670094233?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 7, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>Ware took Spoelstra’s challenge and used it as fuel to have a dominating game on Wednesday, scoring a game-high 29 points on 12 of 19 shooting from the field, three of six from deep, to go along with 12 rebounds and a block. He would say after Wednesday’s loss to San Antonio that he takes what his head coach tells him as <a href="https://x.com/ZachWeinberger/status/1976114725655281959" rel="noopener">“motivation.”</a></p><p>“I always take anything that Spo says as motivation, I take it and I try to impact it into my game, and I try to play as hard as I can, I was still getting my legs back in front of me from training camp,” Ware said.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Full comments from Kel’el Ware after an impressive game against the Spurs tonight. </p><p>He speaks about answering Spo’s challenges, how it made him feel, and questions from me about that “natural connection” with Kasparas Jakucionis, and more. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/HeatNation?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#HeatNation</a> <a href="https://t.co/fGQDkxqz92">pic.twitter.com/fGQDkxqz92</a></p><p>— Zachary Weinberger (@ZachWeinberger) <a href="https://twitter.com/ZachWeinberger/status/1976114725655281959?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 9, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><h2><b>Heat’s Erik Spoelstra cites the “progress” that Kel’el Ware is making</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Kelel-Ware-on-March-31-2025.jpg"><figcaption>Reggie Hildred-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>With the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/miami-heat/heat-news-kelel-ware-drops-honest-take-on-chance-to-start-for-miami">question of Ware starting for the Heat</a> this upcoming year, he did so in the second half of last season, headlining an exciting frontcourt with Bam Adebayo. However, Ware has yet to start in the preseason, with Spoelstra instead putting Nikola Jovic with Adebayo as the Indiana product continues to develop.</p><p>For Spoelstra, the game on Wednesday showed Ware putting “a lot of it together,” highlighting his performance that was filled with “force,” citing it as <a href="https://x.com/ZachWeinberger/status/1976120129768542354" rel="noopener">“progress.”</a></p><p>“Of course, Kel’el, he put a lot of it together tonight,” Spoelstra said. “His pick-and-roll coverages were really good. He was protecting the basket, was closing out when he needed to, rebounded the ball very well, and he was playing with force…And he also made some plays where he got in the paint and spread it out. So that’s definitely progress.”</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Asked Erik Spoelstra about the impact Kasparas Jakucionis had right from the jump. </p><p>“…He has a kamikaze element to him. Him and Pelle are going to spend a lot of time on the ground. He’s like jet fuel…” </p><p>Would add Kel’el Ware “put a lot of it together tonight.” <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/HeatNation?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#HeatNation</a> <a href="https://t.co/qWJBPUOR2F">pic.twitter.com/qWJBPUOR2F</a></p><p>— Zachary Weinberger (@ZachWeinberger) <a href="https://twitter.com/ZachWeinberger/status/1976120129768542354?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 9, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>An eye-opening trend on Wednesday was the connection with rookie point guard Kasparas Jakucionis, with Spoelstra explaining why they’re both a <a href="https://x.com/ZachWeinberger/status/1976120389123416339" rel="noopener">“natural connection.”</a></p><p>“They’ve played together some, but I think it’s more a product of Kel’el’s great hands; he’s a vertical threat. Kas [Jakucionis] sees it,” Spoelstra said. “He can deliver it, but he also can deliver the pocket pass, kind of set you up, and let the big do the rest of the work. That’s a good quality, if you have kind of a synergy between a couple of guys, I think that’s definitely a good thing.”</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Erik Spoelstra spoke about Kasparas Jakucionis’ vision and how he and Kel’el Ware have a “natural connection.” <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/HeatNation?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#HeatNation</a> <a href="https://t.co/oNGijk2tp1">pic.twitter.com/oNGijk2tp1</a></p><p>— Zachary Weinberger (@ZachWeinberger) <a href="https://twitter.com/ZachWeinberger/status/1976120389123416339?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 9, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>Ware will continue to answer Spoelstra’s challengers throughout the preseason with the next game on Sunday against the Orlando Magic.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

How Heat’s Kel’el Ware uses Erik Spoelstra’s challenges as ‘motivation’

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/miami-heat/heat-news-erik-spoelstra-lays-out-goals-kelel-ware-sophomore-season');   ga('set', 'title', 'Heat’s Erik Spoelstra lays out goals for Kel’el Ware in sophomore season');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Erik-Spoelstra-and-Kelel-Ware-on-March-8-2025.jpg"><figcaption>Sam Navarro-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Heat’s Erik Spoelstra lays out goals for Kel’el Ware in sophomore season</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-10-08T15:38:31-07:00">October 8th, 3:38pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-10-08T15:38:31-07:00">October 8th, 3:38pm</time><address><a>Zachary Weinberger</a>Zachary Weinberger joined ClutchPoints in October 2023 as a Miami Heat reporter as well as an Associate Editor. He graduated from Florida Atlantic University in 2022 after covering the school's athletic programs since his freshman year at the FAU University Press, where he was a Sports Editor and Editor-in-Chief. He then covered FAU Sports for The Palm Beach Post.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Miami Heat</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>MIAMI – With <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/miami-heat/heat-news-erik-spoelstra-reveals-encouraging-signs-he-saw-from-nikola-jovic-vs-bucks">the Miami Heat showing some encouraging signs</a>, 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 <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/miami-heat/heat-news-kelel-ware-drops-honest-take-on-chance-to-start-for-miami">Heat fans wonder if Ware will start for the team</a>, head coach Erik Spoelstra ran through the steps he wants to see from the young star, who’s entering his second season.</p><p>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<a href="https://x.com/ZachWeinberger/status/1976046060289347995" rel="noopener"> “short-term goals”</a> was the game plan.</p><p>“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.”</p><p>“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.”</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">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. </p><p>Would say he watched again that 3-4 minute segment in the second half that wowed him. Full response: <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/HeatNation?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#HeatNation</a> <a href="https://t.co/BCx8Bddue2">pic.twitter.com/BCx8Bddue2</a></p><p>— Zachary Weinberger (@ZachWeinberger) <a href="https://twitter.com/ZachWeinberger/status/1976046060289347995?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 8, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><h2><b>Heat’s Erik Spoelstra continues to challenge Kel’el Ware </b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Kelel-Ware-on-Oct.-6-2025.jpg"><figcaption>Sam Navarro-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>While the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/miami-heat/heat-news-kelel-ware-responds-to-erik-spoelstra-putting-him-on-blast">Heat relationship between Spoelstra and Ware</a> has been under a magnifying glass since challenging him on improving his <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/nba/comments/1lyg5vw/coach_spoelstra_with_a_strong_statement_on_kelel/" rel="noopener">“professionalism,”</a> 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 <a href="https://x.com/ZachWeinberger/status/1975387547670094233" rel="noopener">wants to see more,</a> as he said after the loss to the Bucks.</p><p>“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.”</p><p>“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.”</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">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. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/HeatNation?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#HeatNation</a> <a href="https://t.co/Py8pt7iQ6Q">pic.twitter.com/Py8pt7iQ6Q</a></p><p>— Zachary Weinberger (@ZachWeinberger) <a href="https://twitter.com/ZachWeinberger/status/1975387547670094233?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 7, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>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.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

2025-26 SEASON STATS
PTS	REB	AST	BLK	STL
13.0	6.5	0.5	1.0	1.0

2025-26 SEASON STATS
PTS	REB	AST	BLK	STL
13.0	6.5	0.5	1.0	1.0

Kel'el
Ware

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