Miami Heat returned to winning ways against the Brooklyn Nets despite the absence of Jimmy Butler.
Erik Spoelstra’s side ran out comfortable 110-95 winners to end a three-game losing streak. The Heat are back to sixth in the Eastern Conference with a 14-13 record.
Bam Adebayo starred for the Heat with 23 points, seven rebounds, and seven assists. His coach, Spoelstra, recently praised him for his toughness.
With Jimmy Butler’s future still uncertain his current absence allows the franchise to see what a future without one of their biggest stars could hold. Michael Porter Jr. has been linked with a potential trade to the Heat, in what would be an interesting move for all parties.
One star who appears to be stepping up for the Heat is rookie Kel’el Ware, but Adebayo explained why the star was ‘lucky to play.’
Rookie Ware was selected with the 15th overall pick by the Heat in the 2024 NBA draft and made his debut for the franchise back in October in a 116–97 loss to the Orlando Magic.
The 20-year-old is a physical presence standing at 7ft and has helped benefit the team on both ends of the court.
Ware secured his new NBA points scoring high with his nine against the Nets. He helped chip in with eight in the previous game against the Magic as well. He also has back-to-back seven rebound games.
Coach Spoelstra recently praised another young Heat star Dru Smith, however, it was Adebayo who was dishing out the compliments for rookie Ware.
Speaking to the media Adebayo said: “He gotta keep doing what he’s doing. Run the floor, catch the lobs and do the little things that contribute towards winning. He’ll figure out everything else as he goes, he’ll start developing.”
Adebayo went on to explain why the youngster was lucky to be getting playing time and reflected on his rookie season.
He continued: “I was telling him ‘You’re lucky to get to play, I didn’t get to play my rookie year’, it’s good that he’s getting his feet wet and he gets to go out there and make mistakes but also learn at the same time.”
While Ware has only made 12 appearances for the Heat so far in his rookie season it looks like he can become a more regular part in the side.
Adebayo and Ware are both centers but this does not mean that they cannot be on the court at the same time as one another, especially if the Heat decide to go big for stretches of play.
As previously mentioned Ware dropped his highest point-scoring game of the season against the Nets, but how do his early season stats compare to those of Adebayo in his rookie year?
| Bam Adebayo Rookie Year | Kel’el Ware Rookie Year * | |
| Points | 6.9 | 3.4 |
| Rebounds | 5.5 | 2.5 |
| Assists | 1.5 | 0.1 |
| Blocks | 0.6 | 0.7 |
| Steals | 0.5 | 0.4 |
While Ware has some way to go to compete with the minutes and numbers of Adebayo he’s certainly going to learn the trade from one of the best in the league.
Ware will be looking to continue having an impact on the side when the Heat take on the Magic in their next game.
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