Erik Spoelstra claims that Kel’el Ware is in All-Star style against the Cavs

MIAMI – Ace fans are still in disbelief over the Miami Heat’s win over the Cleveland Cavaliers in overtime on Monday night, 140-138, there were many factors that contributed to the victory, such as coming out of Kel’el Ware. After that The Heat’s Andrew Wiggins had the game-winning dunk, head coach Erik Spoelstra made a big claim about the young center.

On Monday night, Ware scored 14 points on seven-of-14 shooting from the field, but the eye-opening stat was his incredible career-high 20 rebounds. The performance is impressive since Ware struggled against the frontcourt duo of Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley in the playoffs last season, but he stood his ground on Monday, even grabbing seven rebounds on the offensive glass.

This led Spoelstra to say that it was “the best game he played in a Miami Heat uniform,” while Ware posted a +6 on the floor.

“That’s the best game he’s played in a Miami Heat uniform,” Spoelstra said. “I don’t care what the stats are. I know he had 20 rebounds. But those efforts on the glass were incredible. And he was reliable defensively. He was with it. He was in the right spots. Mobley made some great shots, but Kel’el was there. He was there, doing the right thing.”

Erik Spoelstra said he was “embracing the unknown” when asked if this win could be a building block since they were without Bam, Herro, etc.

He said this was Kel’el Ware’s “best game he’s played in a Miami uniform.” #HeatNation pic.twitter.com/MLD6TSkJFE

— Zachary Weinberger (@ZachWeinberger) November 11, 2025

Ware has gone through trouble as “motivation” leading up to Monday night’s performance.

“Just remembering what happened last year, I took that as motivation over the summer and this season to fight and do my job and get rebounds,” Ware said.

Full comments from Kel’el Ware after scoring 14 points and grabbing a career-high 20 rebounds.

I would ask him about the progress made, going back to the playoff series against Cleveland. #HeatNation pic.twitter.com/isjVS3NMGv

— Zachary Weinberger (@ZachWeinberger) November 11, 2025

Erik Spoelstra on Kel’el Ware’s development with the Heat

With Heat captain Bam Adebayo is still out with a toe injurythere’s no denying that Ware’s involvement is even more important to the team, and Monday’s performance shows that. However, it wasn’t always long and sunny for Var, as the team challenged him on several occasions this summer and season.

Spoelstra would tell ClutchPoints that the development of young players in the NBA “isn’t linear,” but Ware was “hard working” through it all.

“He had a really good summer developing, but he started summer league a little bit slow and then finished with two really strong games,” Spoelstra said. “His last game was the most memorable game leading up to the win against Boston. And then it was kind of uneven in the preseason and early in the season. “But he was hardworking. He shows up every day with the mindset of getting better.”

“He and (assistant coach Malik Allen) have a beautiful working relationship,” Spoelstra continued. “They spend so much time together. And when you’re dealing with young players, you just have to embrace the unknown, embrace the possibilities and understand that it’s not always going to be just a rocket ship, simple. So we want to be patient, but you want to be impatient during the process, too. So it’s a good balance.”

Asked Erik Spoelstra about Kel’el Ware and the progress made since the playoff series when he struggled:

“He’s had a really good summer of development. He started Summer League a little slow and then finished strong … and then kind of uneven, but he’s been valuable . . .” #HeatNation pic.twitter.com/CjdBPAINP8

— Zachary Weinberger (@ZachWeinberger) November 11, 2025

Ware would say after the game that it was “good” to see the coaches happy with his performance, especially since they talked about his ability on the glass. The 13th overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft looks set to hold its own in Wednesday’s rematch against the Cavs.