![\"Kel'el](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Screenshot-7-16-9.23AM-edited.jpg\")
(Mandatory Credit: Patrick McDermott\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n(Mandatory Credit: Patrick McDermott\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n
One of the biggest storylines this offseason has been the play of Miami Heat second-year big man Kel\u2019el Ware.<\/p>\n
Ware, 21, was one of the league\u2019s best rookies last season, averaging 9.3 points and 7.4 rebounds across 64 starts, earning a full-time starting role alongside Bam Adebayo in January. While his impact wasn\u2019t always great, he eased the burden off Adebayo, a three-time All-Star, down the stretch of the season.<\/p>\n
Ware finished sixth in Rookie of the Year voting and made second-team All-NBA, hoping to dominate at the start of the summer.<\/p>\n
Well, he didn\u2019t. After three disastrous performances (two California Classic, one Las Vegas), he was called o<\/a>ut by not only Summer League head coach Eric Glass, but also Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra for his professionalism and consistency. He responded well in each of the Heat\u2019s last two games, including a 21-point, 15-rebound effort in the Heat\u2019s 100-96 win over the Boston Celtics on Monday.<\/p>\n Kel\u2019el Ware assures Heat that he \u2018will\u2019 bring more consistent energy, impact every night:<\/p>\n Ware acknowledged that he wasn\u2019t bringing the energy that he should of, and has been adamant that will no longer happen.<\/p>\n \u201cI told you yesterday, \u2018you will\u2019, it\u2019s just something I gotta bring every day,\u201d Ware said<\/a> after Monday\u2019s win. \u201cLike I said, I will. \u2026 It\u2019s more of a presence that\u2019s being felt out there. I just got to bring it, that\u2019s it. Plain and simple.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p>\n In his first three Summer League games, the 7-foot big averaged just 13.0 points and five rebounds; in those two games since, he\u2019s averaged 21.0 points and 12.0 rebounds. We\u2019re dealing with incredibly small samples, but against lower-level competition, that\u2019s a huge difference.<\/p>\n His motor and consistency were one of his biggest knocks in college at Oregon and Indiana. It\u2019s great to see that he embraced Spoelstra\u2019s challenge and took accountability; it\u2019s exactly what was needed.<\/p>\n Now, the next step is not only continuing to finish Summer League, but parlay this into a consistently good regular season. He didn\u2019t end last season on a high note, so it\u2019s important to use this as fuel heading into the 2025-26 season. Not all growth is linear, but Ware has all the talent in the world to be one of the league\u2019s best centers over time.<\/p>\n ***<\/p>\n To check out our other content, click\u00a0here<\/a>.<\/p>\n Follow Hot Hot Hoops on Twitter\/X\u00a0here<\/a>!<\/p>\n Follow Hot Hot Hoops on Instagram\u00a0here<\/a>!<\/p>\n Subscribe to our YouTube channel\u00a0here<\/a>!<\/p>\n \t\t\t