Miami Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra has long run a tight ship, and he expects a whole lot out of his players night in and night out.

That includes second-year big man Kel’el Ware, who has staked his claim as a valuable NBA center and is averaging a double-double this season.

Being coachable matters, and Eternal Bast of Five Reasons Sports said that coaches (presumably within the Heat) have gone out of their way in the past to describe the big man as just that: coachable.

“One of the things I noticed, especially when I talked to coaches last year, is they all just came out of their way — not me asking them, me poking them — they came out of their way saying how coachable Kel’el was,” he said.

There’s a real argument that Ware should be getting more playing time, as he’s averaging 12.6 points, 10.6 rebounds and 1.3 blocks for the Heat in 24.8 minutes of playing time per game in the 2025-26 season. He’s even come off the bench plenty of times, yet he’s seemingly never complained about his role this season, a credit to his maturity level at just 21 years of age.

Ware, the No. 15 overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft, has had to earn his minutes at the highest level. He started his rookie campaign on the outside looking in when it came to Spoelstra’s rotation but has now played his way up to being a key part of the Heat.

The 21-year-old just had a big performance in Miami’s most recent game, a win against the Denver Nuggets. He compiled 19 points on 8-of-12 shooting from the field and 3-of-6 shooting from 3-point range while chipping in nine rebounds.

Ware’s value is said to be building around the NBA. It’s a welcome development after Spoelstra challenged him in the offseason to improve his professionalism, which concerned some.

His play has helped the Heat get back to their winning ways as of late. Following a losing stretch for Miami earlier this month, the team has won every one of its last three games and is currently the East’s No. 7 seed (and only percentage points back of the No. 5 spot) with an 18-15 record.

Ware and the Heat will look to earn their fourth victory in a row when they take on the Detroit Pistons on Thursday night. Detroit holds the No. 1 seed in the East and has lost just eight games all season long.