MIAMI — If one didn’t know better, one might have thought Erik Spoelstra was having a come-to-Kel’el Ware moment.

As he addressed various factors of Sunday night’s 134-91 rout of the Chicago Bulls, the Heat coach made the atypical move of addressing a question unasked, as he assessed where his team stood in the wake of the rout, now at 27-24 going into Tuesday night’s game against the visiting Atlanta Hawks.

“Since one of you guys will probably ask about Kel’el,” Spoelstra began unprompted, of what had grown into a considerable Heat talking point in light of the second-year center being limited to 3:11 in Saturday night’s loss to the Bulls as part of a significant reduction in playing time in recent weeks, “Kel’el gave us really solid minutes tonight. I was encouraged by his defensive activity. He’s part of that young-gun crew, as well. And offensively he moved the ball when he needed to, he gave us the vertical spacing when he needed to. He shot the 3 when he needed to.

“So those things I think we can build on.”

This time, Spoelstra played Ware 18:24, the most playing time for  the 21-year-old 7-footer since Jan. 6, with Ware removed from the starting lineup the following game. Ware closed with 17 points and six rebounds.

There were, however, mitigating factors Sunday that both opened playing time and then allowed for the extended runs, with backup big man Nikola Jovic sidelined Sunday with a hip impingement and little needed for extended minutes from surging starting center Bam Adebayo, with the Heat’s lead cresting at 54 points. Adebayo went 22:15 in the win.

Less than 24 hours earlier, addressing Ware’s lack of recent playing time only when prompted, Spoelstra had said, “Look, I know, like every press conference ends up becoming about him, and I really don’t want it to be that.”

Yet it had become about exactly that, in light of Ware statistics that seemingly had merited greater playing time, and amid trade speculation that has had Ware as a potential featured component for a possible move for disgruntled Milwaukee Bucks All-Star forward Giannis Antetokounmpo.

So this time Spoelstra arrived prepared to tackle the issue head on, stressing a personal need to be better with the situation, while also pointing out the atypical composition of the current Heat roster with so many young rotation elements.

“It was a little bit of an uneven 10 days, two weeks, since the injury, and then working him back into this,” Spoelstra said of Ware missing the final four games of the team’s recent western swing with a hamstring strain that had Ware back in Miami ahead of the team. “But it’s good to have him get some extended minutes.

“And then, overall, and not specific to Kel’el, it’s more about our team and where we are. We all want to do better. And that includes the head coach.”

Typically, Spoelstra’s rotations are veteran-laden, with youthful components largely on the periphery. But with recent injuries and absences that have taken rotation elements such as Tyler Herro, Davion Mitchell, Norman Powell and others out of the mix, it has meant greater reliance on the likes of 21-year-old Ware, 22-year-old Jovic, 19-year-old Kasparas Jakucionis,  24-year-old Pelle Larsson and 24-year-old Jaime Jaquez Jr.

“I have to do a better job with this group,” Spoelstra said. “We have the potential that we can see. We have the explosiveness. We have the defense. And it’s a matter of consistency.

“And that’s what I’m here for, to be able to help that along with the veterans, to be able to help our consistency.”

Spoelstra made it clear that the challenge is real, but the way the messaging was delivered, it was almost as if it had been stressed as a talking point from those around him in the Heat’s inner circle.

“But also to hold the young guys accountable,” Spoelstra said, “and we have more of ’em than we’ve had in recent history. But also develop them and infuse confidence in them.

“And that’s a fine balance, but, again, that’s what I’m here for, and I want to take that challenge and I want to be better with that these final 30 games. But we’re all in this.”