Why Kel’el Ware isn’t worried about Erik Spoelstra’s tough coaching

With The Miami Heat want to get back on track as the team has lost eight of its last nine games, one bright spot has been the second-year center’s recent game Kel’el Ware. As Ware has been on an impressive streak with the heatthere’s no denying that there was some tough training along the way, as the young big man talks about.

While the fans paid attention to the training that Vare received from the head coach Erik Spoelstrahe’s not the only one to treat a player that way, as previous college coaches Dana Altman at Oregon and Mike Woodson at Indiana did the same. As they and Spoelstra repeatedly challenged Ware, the 21-year-old doesn’t take it personally, saying he was “used to it”.

“That’s really the only coach I’ve been with,” Ware said, according to The Miami Herald. “So that’s really all I’m used to. So I don’t take anything for granted or look at it a certain way. I just keep to myself and let it be.”

In fact, Ware takes it as a compliment to Spoelstra and others who praise the center for the amount of talent he has, wanting to get the best out of him.

“That’s how they train me,” Ware said. “So it’s not a big deal to me, I would say. I just understand how they want to see me be better and a better version of myself.”

“I kind of got used to this way of training,” Ware continued. “That’s why I say I don’t pay that much attention to it. It doesn’t really affect me that way, because I’m used to it.”

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While it is The heat will continue to challenge Var As time goes on, there’s no denying that the coaching has paid off to where he is today, and hopefully, how he’s progressing. Spoelstra would tell ClutchPoints that his progression does not have to be linear.

“I want there to be some surprises, not just with Kel’el but with the other guys,” Spoelstra said. “He behaves appropriately and takes responsibility for winning. It’s not like a negative thing. We all want the same, we want a better result. We want faster growth. I want it to be like he’s 28, which is not realistic, and a little impatience is good.”

Asked Erik Spoelstra about what has changed for Kel’el Ware.

He also asked him about his relationship with assistant Malik Allen, who Spo says is one of the most underrated coaches.

“It’s tough love, you guys think I’m hard on Kel’el…”

Full answer with great insight: #HeatNation pic.twitter.com/tD22t5kekn

— Zachary Weinberger (@ZachWeinberger) December 23, 2025

Either way, Ware will continue to impress for Miami as the team’s next opportunity is Friday against the Atlanta Hawks with the team at 15-15.