<!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', '/heat-news-how-bam-adebayo-kevin-love-are-helping-mold-different-miami-rookie');   ga('set', 'title', 'How Bam Adebayo, Kevin Love are helping mold ‘different’ Heat rookie');   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/2024/12/How-Bam-Adebayo-Kevin-Love-are-helping-mold-different-Miami-rookie.jpg"></figure><h1>How Bam Adebayo, Kevin Love are helping mold ‘different’ Heat rookie</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-12-23T15:34:42-08:00">December 23rd, 3:34pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-12-23T15:36:48-08:00">December 23rd, 3:36pm</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 – There is no doubt that fans have been wanting to see <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/heat-news-erik-spoelstra-highlights-kelel-wares-development-amid-sparse-playing-time">more playing time for Miami Heat rookie Kel’el Ware</a>, who was selected with the 15th overall pick in the latest NBA Draft. They would get that wish during the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/heat-news-erik-spoelstras-blunt-reaction-to-historic-collapse-vs-magic">Heat’s collapse to the Orlando Magic</a>, but fans can still take away the continuous improvement from Ware as he’s in the same locker room with dynamic players like Bam Adebayo and Kevin Love.</p><p>Ware would log 14 minutes as he finished with eight points on making all four of his shots from the field to go along with seven rebounds and two blocks as he led the team with a +26 on the floor. Speaking before Monday night’s game against the Brooklyn Nets, head coach Erik Spoelstra would name to ClutchPoints certain traits that both Adebayo and Love have that he wants to see from Ware,<a href="https://x.com/ZachWeinberger/status/1871329926345044291" rel="noopener"> but also emphasizes</a> being his own person.</p><p>“Yeah, I haven’t really looked at it from that standpoint, but certainly the professionalism of each of them, the work ethic,” Spoelstra said. “You know, take some of the rebounding traits from K-Love, some of the defensive versatility from Bam, but there he’s different. He brings something different. That’s what we like about him and he had some really good minutes the other night.”</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Asked Erik Spoelstra about what he wants Kel’el Ware to take away from mentors like Bam Adebayo and Kevin Love.</p><p>“The professionalism of each of them…take some of the rebounding traits from K-Love, some of the defensive versatility from Bam, but he’s different…” <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/HeatNation?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#HeatNation</a> <a href="https://t.co/wxw1iOveAh">pic.twitter.com/wxw1iOveAh</a></p><p>— Zachary Weinberger (@ZachWeinberger) <a href="https://twitter.com/ZachWeinberger/status/1871329926345044291?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 23, 2024</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://instagram.com/embed.js"></script></p></figure><h2><b>Heat’s Bam Adebayo on how Kel’el Ware has stuck with the “process”</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Kelel-Ware-on-Dec.-21-2024.jpg"><figcaption>Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/exclusive-bam-adebayo-embracing-love-hate-relationship-with-heat-captain-title">The Heat’s captain in Adebayo</a> would speak highly about Ware after the loss to the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/heat-news-miami-collapse-magic-ends-796-nba-streak">Magic where the Heat lost a 22-point lead</a> going into the fourth quarter, losing as they only scored eight points. Still, Adebayo was impressed with the Indiana University product as he is <a href="https://www.miamiherald.com/sports/nba/miami-heat/article297458873.html" rel="noopener">“sticking with the process”</a> in his development according to Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald.</p><p>“He’s just understanding the process,” Adebayo said. “It’s a marathon not a sprint at the end of the day, and I think he’s starting to understand that. I always make the joke that I didn’t play as a rookie. So obviously you look at what I’ve done in my career, if you would have seen me in my rookie year, you would have been like there’s no way this kid is going to be him now. So like I said, just sticking with the process.”</p><h2><b>Kevin Love on Kel’el Ware’s “fit” with the Heat</b></h2><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/heat-news-kevin-love-on-kalel-wares-awesome-strides-despite-lack-of-minutes">As for Love</a>, he is a veteran in this league who has seen everything, including an NBA championship, but had elite abilities whether it be on the glass or on the offensive side of the ball. The 36-year-old would mention how Ware “listens to every single one” on the team in order to get better.</p><p>“He has really fit in with us well because he just continues to work hard,” Love said. “He listens to every single one of us, he wants to apply things that are taught to him both on and off the floor, He has really just continued to chase the game. Even at practice, we just sometimes put him on defense and have him guard the rim and just try to block every shot. We don’t care if it’s a goaltend, we don’t care if he smacks the ball into the fifth row. … That’s what we want to see from him. He’s a guy who can really do that.”</p><p>At any rate, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/heat-news-kelel-ware-delivers-encouraging-first-meaningful-performance-with-miami">Ware hopes to get consistent minutes</a> as Miami is 13-13 before the game against Brooklyn where they hope to snap a three-game skid.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

How Bam Adebayo, Kevin Love are helping mold ‘different’ Heat rookie

<!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', '/heat-news-erik-spoelstra-reveals-kevin-loves-eye-opening-gift');   ga('set', 'title', 'Heat’s Erik Spoelstra reveals Kevin Love’s eye-opening ‘gift’');   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/2024/11/Erik-Spoelstra-reveals-Kevin-Loves-eye-opening-gift.jpg"></figure><h1>Heat’s Erik Spoelstra reveals Kevin Love’s eye-opening ‘gift’</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-11-26T15:39:57-08:00">November 26th, 3:39pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-11-26T15:39:57-08:00">November 26th, 3:39pm</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 – Before the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/bucks-vs-heat-predictions-odds-pick-for-nba-cup-2024">Miami Heat took on the Milwaukee Bucks</a> as a part of NBA Cup group play, head coach Erik Spoelstra highlighted veteran big man Kevin Love and his contributions to the team. As Love played a <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/heat-news-jimmy-butler-shouts-out-unheralded-hero-after-thrilling-win-over-mavericks">huge role in the Heat’s bench</a> in Sunday’s win over the Dallas Mavericks, Spoelstra honed in on the star’s best traits that reflect on the group.</p><h2><b>Heat’s Erik Spoelstra explains Kevin Love’s “gift”</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Kevin-Love-on-Nov.jpg"><figcaption>Sam Navarro-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>The term “connector” has been used by Spoelstra many times when discussing Love’s impact on Miami, as besides contributing on the floor, he is also vital to the team’s camaraderie behind the scenes as the veteran presence. Spoelstra would say to ClutchPoints before Tuesday’s contest that he has a <a href="https://x.com/ZachWeinberger/status/1861545252684702092" rel="noopener">“gift”</a> of wanting to “bring people together.”</p><p>“I think that’s a great compliment to be a connector in today’s day and age,” Spoelstra said. “So much separation, somebody that has a gift of seeing others, Kevin has that, and then the ability to want to bring people together, and then also the final piece is to have the interpersonal skills to be able to do that where people trust you and want you to be able to help connect. You know, at this stage in his career, he just wants to win. He wants to see other guys succeed. How can you not want to play with a guy like that? He has extensive experience and a lot of different goals.”</p><p>“He understands what it’s like being a star player,” Spoelstra continued. “Understands what it’s like being a reserve, and you’re tasked with changing the energy of the game, and sometimes it doesn’t always go that way, and you’re not always given maybe all the minutes or opportunities that maybe a starting unit would have. That’s a different dynamic; he understands all the emotions that go into that. Our depth is one of our most important strengths of our team, and Kevin is a big part of that. But also, given the confidence, you know, to the bench, guys, to help them be their best versions is a big part too.”</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Asked Erik Spoelstra about Kevin Love’s role on the team when it comes to producing on the floor and being a connector in the locker room.</p><p>“I think that’s a great compliment to be a connector…” <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/HeatNation?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#HeatNation</a> <a href="https://t.co/8cZtzxVb5K">pic.twitter.com/8cZtzxVb5K</a></p><p>— Zachary Weinberger (@ZachWeinberger) <a href="https://twitter.com/ZachWeinberger/status/1861545252684702092?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 26, 2024</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://instagram.com/embed.js"></script></p></figure><h2><b>Heat’s Jimmy Butler sings Kevin Love’s praises</b></h2><p>The 36-year-old has spoken time and time again about being a mentor, as <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/heat-news-kevin-love-on-kalel-wares-awesome-strides-despite-lack-of-minutes">Love mentioned his relationship with Heat rookie Kel’el Ware</a>. He even has the utmost respect from the other veterans as well, like star Jimmy Butler, who said after the win over the Mavericks that he adores playing alongside him.</p><p>“I love playing with K-Love,” Butler said. “He’s so smart, he’s always looking to make the right play every single time with him on the floor there’s so much space, and it’s just like a head nod, and I know what he thinking, he know what I’m thinking. We talk about it because, you know, we’re both one of the vets, the vet vets on this team. But the one thing that we always keep in common is the fact that we definitely want to win.”</p><p>It’s no wonder why the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/heat-news-kevin-love-returning-to-miami-on-8-million-contract">Heat re-signed Love during the offseason,</a> as he also is the primary backup to center Bam Adebayo. So far this season, he’s averaged 7.3 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 1.0 assists per game while shooting 39 percent from the field and 44 percent from beyond the arch.</p><p>At any rate, Miami is 7-7 and 1-1 in NBA Cup group play before Tuesday’s outing against Milwaukee as they come into it with a two-game winning streak.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Heat’s Erik Spoelstra reveals Kevin Love’s eye-opening ‘gift’

<!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', '/heat-news-kevin-love-on-kalel-wares-awesome-strides-despite-lack-of-minutes');   ga('set', 'title', 'Heat’s Kevin Love on Kal’el Ware’s ‘awesome’ strides despite lack of minutes');   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/2024/11/Heat-news-Kevin-Love-on-Kalel-Ware-s-awesome-strides-despite-lack-of-minutes.jpg"></figure><h1>Heat’s Kevin Love on Kal’el Ware’s ‘awesome’ strides despite lack of minutes</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-11-23T17:20:41-08:00">November 23rd, 5:20pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-11-23T17:20:41-08:00">November 23rd, 5:20pm</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/heat-news-erik-spoelstra-highlights-kelel-wares-development-amid-sparse-playing-time">Miami Heat rookie Kel’el Ware still waits for consistent minutes</a> at the professional level, he continues to receive major endorsements within the team, such as head coach Erik Spoelstra. Before the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/heat-news-erik-spoelstra-drops-hall-of-fame-klay-thompson-take-before-mavericks-game">Heat take on the Dallas Mavericks</a> Sunday evening, veteran star Kevin Love spoke highly of Ware after the conclusion of Saturday’s practice.</p><h2><b>Heat’s Kevin Love on Kel’el Ware’s lack of minutes</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Kelel-Ware-on-Nov.-10-2024.jpg"><figcaption>Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Love has been tasked by the team to not just be a crucial part of the team’s second unit, even at 36 years old, but also be a mentor to younger players, especially fellow big-men such as the rookie Ware. Subsequently, Love would say to ClutchPoints that Ware is, in fact, <a href="https://x.com/ZachWeinberger/status/1860425808369578250" rel="noopener">“taking strides”</a> and reinforced Spoelstra’s comments from Thursday that even though the playing time is sparse, it doesn’t mean that there are setbacks.</p><p>“For sure,” Love said when asked if it’s easy to balance his production on the court and be a veteran presence on the team. “And it’s all of us, all the bigs have been working with Kel’el a lot. He was awesome in practice this week. So he’s taking strides, really, in the right direction. I think I overheard Spo saying him not playing or not getting the reps or the minutes right now in the game isn’t a direct reflection of how good he’s been. He’s continued to work, continue to fight, and that goes all the way throughout the lineup.”</p><p>“So it’s not just me, it’s not just Bam [Adebayo], it’s everybody putting their best foot forward to just help each other and try to better communicate,” Love continued. “That’s something working on right now. You can hear a great team, so we just need to continue to communicate. But it was a very productive week for all of us.”</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Asked Kevin Love about the balance of producing on the court and being the veteran presence. Would also highlight the progression of rookie Kel’el Ware.</p><p>“All of the bigs have been working with Kel’el, he was awesome in practice this week…” <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/HeatNation?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#HeatNation</a> <a href="https://t.co/nrEElXGpC2">pic.twitter.com/nrEElXGpC2</a></p><p>— Zachary Weinberger (@ZachWeinberger) <a href="https://twitter.com/ZachWeinberger/status/1860425808369578250?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 23, 2024</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://instagram.com/embed.js"></script></p></figure><p>There is no doubt that fans have been clamoring to see <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/heat-news-kelel-ware-delivers-encouraging-first-meaningful-performance-with-miami">Ware get more minutes on the Heat</a>, especially since they got a taste of it on Nov. 6 against the Phoenix Suns, where he logged 14 minutes and even acted as the backup for Bam Adebayo.</p><h2><b>Heat’s Kevin Love on the “patience” of Kel’el Ware</b></h2><p>However, the minutes have drastically gone down, but in a conversation with ClutchPoints Thursday, he understands that he is developing in his first season in the league. Love would cite that <a href="https://x.com/ZachWeinberger/status/1860421238721572981" rel="noopener">“patience”</a> is an important trait to have during this time as he knows firsthand of the development of Ware, even mentioning how he wants the Indiana University product to use his seven-foot frame to his advantage.</p><p>“I think it’s just patience,” Love said. “He’s really fit in with us well because he just continues to work hard. He listens to every single one of us. He wants to apply things that are taught to him, both on and off the floor. With me, that can get a little bit messy away from the floor, but he’s really just continued to chase the game, and you can tell from practice practice. We sometimes just put him on defense and have him guard the rim and just try to block every shot, we don’t care if it’s a goal tend, we don’t care he smacks the ball into the fifth row.”</p><p>“That’s something that you know we’re talking about with Patrick Ewing and what he used to do with Georgetown,” Love continued. “Just first four or five shots, he didn’t give a shit, he just smacked that shit into the third or fifth row, and that’s what we want to see from him. He’s a guy that can really do that, and even with these bigs tomorrow, maybe not so much Gafford, but Lively, when you see that in him, he’s only going to continue to get better. I mean, he’s still so young, but I think his temperament and who he is as a person is really helpful.”</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Kevin Love talks more about Kel’el Ware and how impressed he’s been with him.</p><p>“It’s patience. He’s really fit in with us well because he continues to work hard and he listens to everybody…” <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/HeatNation?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#HeatNation</a> <a href="https://t.co/y9LAEFwvCp">pic.twitter.com/y9LAEFwvCp</a></p><p>— Zachary Weinberger (@ZachWeinberger) <a href="https://twitter.com/ZachWeinberger/status/1860421238721572981?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 23, 2024</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://instagram.com/embed.js"></script></p></figure><h2><b>Heat’s Kel’el Ware on sidelines as other rookies stand out </b></h2><p>At any rate, fans have been even more cranky with the lack of playing time, especially when they see other rookies thrive. These include Philadelphia 76ers guard Jared McCain and Los Angeles Lakers guard Dalton Knecht lighting up the league as both were taken after Ware.</p><p>As Love would say about Ware, fans will need to be patient as some players explode onto the scene on their own time. Miami faces Dallas on Sunday as they are 6-7, which puts them fifth in the Eastern Conference as the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/heat-news-jimmy-butler-highlights-miamis-crucial-injury-updates-for-mavericks-game">Heat hope to have Jimmy Butler available.</a></p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Heat’s Kevin Love on Kal’el Ware’s ‘awesome’ strides despite lack of minutes

<!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', '/heat-news-kevin-love-with-strong-play-draws-amazing-take-from-erik-spoelstra');   ga('set', 'title', 'Heat’s Kevin Love with strong play draws ‘amazing’ take from Erik Spoelstra');   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/2024/11/Heat-news-Kevin-Loves-strong-play-draws-amazing-take-from-Erik-Spoelstra.jpg"></figure><h1>Heat’s Kevin Love with strong play draws ‘amazing’ take from Erik Spoelstra</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-11-16T12:00:25-08:00">November 16th, 12:00pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-11-16T12:00:25-08:00">November 16th, 12:00pm</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/heats-news-erik-sporlstra-has-thrilled-reaction-to-bam-adebayos-strong-outing-vs-pacers">Miami Heat beat the Indiana Pacers</a> Friday night to get a win in NBA Cup group play, the star of the show was Bam Adebayo, who put up a dynamic game amid a slow start to the season. However, it was <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/heat-news-kevin-love-prioritizing-freshness-amid-prolonged-absence">Heat veteran Kevin Love who put up a productive game</a>, proving time and time again how age is just a number, garnering the reaction of head coach Erik Spoelstra.</p><p>In the victory to the Pacers, the 36-year-old was in the starting lineup due to the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/heat-news-is-jimmy-butler-playing-vs-pacers-latest-nba-cup-injury-update">injury to Heat star Jimmy Butler</a> and finished with 15 points on six for eight shooting, including three of four from beyond the arch. He would also collect seven rebounds, recorded two assists, and even had four steals as Spoelstra <a href="https://www.miamiherald.com/sports/nba/miami-heat/article295588484.html" rel="noopener">expresses his gratitude for having a player</a> like Love on his team, according to Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald.</p><p>“I just really appreciate Kevin,” Spoelstra said. “I appreciate that he’s able to morph into different roles. Guys like him have that cachet that on any given night they can be that for short bursts. What he did in basically 12 minutes and change is pretty amazing. But it’s because he’s about the right things.”</p><h2><b>Heat’s Kevin Love on his return to the team after absence </b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Kevin-Love-on-Nov-15-2024.jpg"><figcaption>Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Love had missed the first eight games of the season due to “personal reasons,” and when he was back with the team, he had to work on his conditioning to get back into game shape. As he’s been giving his veteran experience to the team, they paid back with kindness as Love spoke about the <a href="https://www.miamiherald.com/sports/nba/miami-heat/article295398634.html" rel="noopener">“unbelievable”</a> support from his teammates.</p><p>“Certainly eight or nine days away, I was able to take care of a lot,” Love said via The Miami Herald. “The support was unbelievable from my teammates, coaching staff, organization. But now having to work your way back in is also something that is tough in itself. You watch and see where you can help and impart a little wisdom away from the court, as well. So now that I’m back, I’m just trying to add that freshness, that lightness to the locker room and hopefully help out there, as well.”</p><p>“It was really tough,” Love continued. “Obviously, you want to be there, especially at this point in my career, too. I want to be there to support the guys, add value, add leadership. But the organization, they were so amazing in supporting me, letting me have my time and allowing me to come back refreshed in my mind.”</p><h2><b>Heat’s Erik Spoelstra on the “fit” of Kevin Love </b></h2><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/heat-news-why-kevin-love-had-no-doubt-about-re-signing-with-miami">Love re-signing with the Heat</a> this offseason was not surprising in the slightest as the team and himself have embraced each other in the roughly two seasons being in Miami. Spoelstra has spoken time and time again about the versatility of Love and how he fits with his offense.</p><p>“He knows how to fit in, he knows how to complement or do more as necessary,” Spoelstra said about Love when he returned against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Nov. 10. “We need it. I think it will help our rebounding, the offensive IQ that he brings, and the spacing certainly will help, as well, and his competitive spirit.”</p><h2><b>Heat’s Kevin Love on how the team responds to him</b></h2><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba-news-kevin-love-showers-kyle-singler-love-amid-mental-battle">Love has been public about his awareness of mental health,</a> which could have played a part in his absence, but it has been described as a “personal family matter.” However, the empathy that he received from the rest of the team was “amazing,” per Love, as he is, in some ways, the replacement for Udonis Haslem, who had been with the organization for two decades.</p><p>“It was amazing,” Love said. “I certainly didn’t want to make it about myself, I had a little bit of, I don’t want to say reluctance going back to work, but I certainly didn’t want people asking all sorts of questions and making it about me, I just wanted to come back and kind of get integrated back, and it was that. As soon as everybody saw each other and asked is everything OK — of course, I said yes — that we were able to just proceed and try to get me back to playing again.”</p><p>Last season, Love was tasked with the role of being the primary backup for star center Bam Adebayo, but the plan was changed to start the season due to his aforementioned absence. It would be Thomas Bryant who filled in that spot until Spoelstra would give more time to Heat rookie Kel’el Ware, who stands at seven-foot tall and has elite athleticism.</p><h2><b>Heat’s Kevin Love described as a “connector of all connectors”</b></h2><p>However, neither yet has the skills that Love has, which is to not only add skill on the glass but also space the floor as he is a clear threat from three-point range. Plus, he has been described as a<a href="https://x.com/ZachWeinberger/status/1773839828381053388" rel="noopener"> “connector of all connectors”</a> by Spoelstra in terms of his leadership and how he can use his experience for the benefit of the team.</p><p>“With Kevin, it’s kind of easy. It’s not like rocket science, you’re talking about a highly decorated, multi year all star who has embraced and accepted a role coming off the bench,” Spoelstra said. “If you could get players of his caliber to do that all the time in their mid 30s and bring that Veteran experience, but also the talent like on any given night, he can still be who he was in short bursts. If you can get guys to embrace that, there’d be a whole lot more guys like that that would have an impact around the league. He makes our best players better because of experience and spacing. As we know he’s a fantastic rebounder, but that experience is something that has really helped our group. It’ll be good to have him back.”</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Erik Spoelstra talks about having Kevin Love and what he brings to the team. Mentions that because he’s missed the past few days for personal reasons, they’ll see how much playing time he’ll get. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/HeatCulture?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#HeatCulture</a> <a href="https://t.co/lhsHUUIDay">pic.twitter.com/lhsHUUIDay</a></p><p>— Zachary Weinberger (@ZachWeinberger) <a href="https://twitter.com/ZachWeinberger/status/1773839828381053388?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 29, 2024</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://instagram.com/embed.js"></script></p></figure><p>At any rate, the Heat are now 5-6 after the win over the Pacers, which also brings them to 1-1 in NBA Cup group play. The overall record puts them sixth in the Eastern Conference as they next face Indiana again to close out the rough six-game road trip, which they are 2-3 before they return home Monday when they take on the Philadelphia 76ers.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Heat’s Kevin Love with strong play draws ‘amazing’ take from Erik Spoelstra

<!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', '/heat-news-kevin-love-prioritizing-freshness-amid-prolonged-absence');   ga('set', 'title', 'Heat’s Kevin Love prioritizing ‘freshness’ amid prolonged absence');   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/2024/11/Heat-news-Kevin-Love-prioritizing-freshness-amid-prolonged-absence.jpg"></figure><h1>Heat’s Kevin Love prioritizing ‘freshness’ amid prolonged absence</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-11-12T14:14:25-08:00">November 12th, 2:14pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-11-12T14:14:25-08:00">November 12th, 2:14pm</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>With the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/heat-vs-pistons-prediction-odds-pick-for-nba-cup-2024">Miami Heat facing the Detroit Pistons</a> Tuesday night, it will be the second time veteran star Kevin Love has played this season for the team. Besides the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/heat-news-tyler-herro-drops-truth-bomb-on-nba-cups-6-figure-cash-prize">Heat game also being the NBA Cup opener</a>, Love is still working to get back in the rhythm of basketball as he only made his season debut in Sunday’s win over the Minnesota Timberwolves.</p><p>Love missed all this time due to “personal reasons,” and when he was back with Miami, he would not play the last several games cited as “Return to Competition Conditioning.” Now that he is back in the swing of things, Love wants to add several aspects to the locker room, including<a href="https://www.miamiherald.com/sports/nba/miami-heat/article295398634.html" rel="noopener"> “freshness”</a> to the group, according to Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald.</p><p>“Certainly eight or nine days away, I was able to take care of a lot,” Love said. “The support was unbelievable from my teammates, coaching staff, organization. But now having to work your way back in is also something that is tough in itself. You watch and see where you can help and impart a little wisdom away from the court, as well. So now that I’m back, I’m just trying to add that freshness, that lightness to the locker room and hopefully help out there, as well.”</p><h2><b>Heat’s Kevin Love on how “tough” it was to miss the start of the season</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Kevin-Love-on-April-24-2024.jpg"><figcaption>David Butler II-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>As the<a href="https://clutchpoints.com/heat-news-why-kevin-love-had-no-doubt-about-re-signing-with-miami"> Heat re-signed Love this past offseason</a>, he plays a crucial role for the team as the veteran presence while also being tasked as the primary backup center to star Bam Adebayo. Since he has been absent, the role had been filled by Thomas Bryant and even the rookie in Kel’el Ware.</p><p>Love was attending to a personal family matter, per The Miami Herald, and admitted that it was very “tough” to sit out all this time but was grateful to the Miami franchise for giving him time to settle.</p><p>“It was really tough,” Love said. “Obviously, you want to be there, especially at this point in my career, too. I want to be there to support the guys, add value, add leadership. But the organization, they were so amazing in supporting me, letting me have my time and allowing me to come back refreshed in my mind.”</p><h2><b>Kevin Love speaks on how the Heat embraced him after missing time</b></h2><p>The 36-year old is in his 17th season in the league and the third with the Heat, as there is no doubt there are younger players that look to him to be a mentor. But as said before, he does play a huge role on the floor, and when he came back to the team, the team greeted him with open arms.</p><p>“It was amazing,” Love said Tuesday. “I certainly didn’t want to make it about myself, I had a little bit of, I don’t want to say reluctance going back to work, but I certainly didn’t want people asking all sorts of questions and making it about me, I just wanted to come back and kind of get integrated back, and it was that. As soon as everybody saw each other and asked is everything OK — of course, I said yes — that we were able to just proceed and try to get me back to playing again.”</p><p>In his season debut against the Timberwolves, Love got the start, which was his first since December of last year, as the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/heat-news-jimmy-butler-injury-update-shocking-win-timberwolves">Heat was missing Jimmy Butler who still has an ankle injury</a>. Haywood Highsmith would join him as Nikola Jovic was relegated to the bench after starting at power forward in the second half of last season and to start this year.</p><h2><b>Heat’s Erik Spoelstra on Kevin Love being a “connector”</b></h2><p>Besides having the trust of his teammates, there is no doubt he has that with Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra, who has described him before as a<a href="https://x.com/ZachWeinberger/status/1773839828381053388" rel="noopener"> “connector of all connectors.”</a></p><p>“With Kevin, it’s kind of easy. It’s not like rocket science, you’re talking about a highly decorated, multi year all star who has embraced and accepted a role coming off the bench,” Spoelstra said. “If you could get players of his caliber to do that all the time in their mid 30s and bring that Veteran experience, but also the talent like on any given night, he can still be who he was in short bursts. If you can get guys to embrace that, there’d be a whole lot more guys like that that would have an impact around the league. He makes our best players better because of experience and spacing. As we know he’s a fantastic rebounder, but that experience is something that has really helped our group. It’ll be good to have him back.”</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Erik Spoelstra talks about having Kevin Love and what he brings to the team. Mentions that because he’s missed the past few days for personal reasons, they’ll see how much playing time he’ll get. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/HeatCulture?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#HeatCulture</a> <a href="https://t.co/lhsHUUIDay">pic.twitter.com/lhsHUUIDay</a></p><p>— Zachary Weinberger (@ZachWeinberger) <a href="https://twitter.com/ZachWeinberger/status/1773839828381053388?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 29, 2024</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://instagram.com/embed.js"></script></p></figure><h2><b>Heat’s Kevin Love being candid about his situation</b></h2><p>Recently, Spoelstra would speak about how it should be a seamless transition for him to understand what the team wants to run on offense and defense.</p><p>“He knows how to fit in, he knows how to complement or do more as necessary,” Spoelstra said when asked about Love. “We need it. I think it will help our rebounding, the offensive IQ that he brings, and the spacing certainly will help, as well, and his competitive spirit.”</p><p>In the 13 minutes that Love played, he scored six points on two for seven shooting, which included one for four from beyond the arch, as he also collected six rebounds and recorded two assists and two steals. While it is a personal matter for the veteran, he would be candid in speaking about going through his tough time to start the season, as <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba-news-kevin-love-showers-kyle-singler-love-amid-mental-battle">Love has spoken at length about the importance of mental health.</a></p><p>“When you see somebody get sick and going through it, as well, one of those moments that you go through in grieving is acceptance,” Love said. “So having to kind of accept where we’re at, where I’m at in my mental health journey. But the only way you can know another person’s struggles and empathize is knowing your own. I truly feel that. So I think it has prepared me to better help, for the lack of a better term, my own family.”</p><p>Love looks to continue making an impact starting Tuesday night against the Pistons as the Heat start their quest for the NBA Cup.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

2024-25 SEASON STATS
PTS	REB	AST	BLK	STL
6.0	4.4	1.2	0.1	0.9

2024-25 SEASON STATS
PTS	REB	AST	BLK	STL
6.0	4.4	1.2	0.1	0.9

Kevin Love

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