The Miami Heat’s recent 125-118 loss to the Chicago Bulls left plenty of talking points, but one detail stood out: the extremely limited minutes for Kel’el Ware. And yes, this is the same Ware just selected for the Rising Stars Game during All-Star Weekend, a detail that made the decision even more noticeable to fans.

For the young center, it was only his third game back from a hamstring injury. The result? Just 3 minutes and 11 seconds on the floor. In that brief appearance, Ware still recorded 2 points, 1 rebound, and 1 assist, though he showed some defensive struggles in a particularly challenging matchup.

After the game, Erik Spoelstra was quick to clarify the situation, making sure the message wasn’t misinterpreted.

I don’t want anyone to think this was a knock on Kel’el. The game was unusual: the Bulls played smaller forwards at the center position and the pace was extremely high. We had to adapt to their speed, and perhaps we also should have made more ‘agile’ choices. Under these conditions, giving him more minutes wouldn’t have been helpful for him or for the team.

Erik Spoelstra

The coach emphasized that the minute allocation doesn’t reflect the player’s value:

If they had a speed advantage, they made us pay. This has nothing to do with Kel’el. His effort and dedication behind the scenes are evident to everyone.

Erik Spoelstra

For this reason, Spoelstra relied on Bam Adebayo and Nikola Jovic as the internal anchors – choices driven by necessity rather than hierarchy.

Looking ahead to future rotations with Ware, Spoelstra added:

We have two very talented young centers, and I need to figure out the best way to utilize Kel’el. It’s not his fault if some lineups haven’t worked. He works hard, prepares constantly, and I’m confident there will be other opportunities to put him on the floor in a positive way. We just need to find the right combination.

Erik Spoelstra

The numbers so far underline his undeniable talent. In his second NBA season, Ware is averaging 11.5 points, 9.5 rebounds, and 1.1 blocks per game, with strong shooting splits: 54% from the field and an impressive 42.2% from three. These stats explain why attention remains high on him, even when his minutes are limited.