Erik Spoelstra teases more minutes for a Bam Adebayo-Kel’el Ware lineup

MIAMI – With Miami Heat vs. Utah Jazz Monday night’s final home game until after the All-Star break, Sunday’s dominant 132-101 victory over the Washington Wizards showed something fans have been looking for. In addition to showing the game Heat’s Bam Adebayo Posters Kel’el Ware, being on the same field together has fans excited for future rotations.

A big-man lineup with Adebayo and Ware is one that fans envisioned as the future, especially after seeing it in extended minutes last season and in 19 of the first 37 games this season. However, this season has seen a regression for the two big squads, as Miami has been outscored by 7.5 points per 100 possessions in 266 minutes played, but Sunday afternoon was a step in the right direction.

It was the first time the two had played together since January 6, as head coaches Erik Spoelstra did more with the small ball starting lineup. With less than three minutes left in the contest, Spoelstra inserted Adebayo with Vera, and the game changed as the team trailed Washington by eight, but it led to a 21-6 run to put Miami ahead.

“Just something we have to keep working onit wasn’t productive for us, but that doesn’t mean we can’t get there, and I think they’re both in second place right now for different reasons,” Spoelstra told ClutchPoints before facing Utah. “And so we were able to get there last night, we’ll probably need it a little bit tonight, and based on their size, we’ve got to move on, let’s see, and then we’ll have to see…” you know, some lineups that work. We want some consistency. And maximize the rotation as much as possible.”

Asked Erik Spoelstra about the two-man lineup with Bam and Kel’el and what made last night better than a rough start to the season.

It says it will be used tonight: #HeatNation pic.tvitter.com/ikkSDEmCSc

— Zachary Weinberger (@ZachWeinberger) February 9, 2026

Heat’s Kel’el Ware on how two big lineups use Bama Adebayo

As it is The Heat came about as a result of a painful loss to the Boston Celtics before the game against the Wizards, the team needed a rush, which was provided by the duo of Adebayo and Ware. In total, the duo played 16 minutes together, and Miami outscored the Wizards by 32 points, and since the lineup hadn’t been used in a long time, even Ware was surprised that he was led by Spoelstra.

“I was a little bit,” Ware said in his postgame press conference, via the team’s YouTube page. “I thought I was dating. But then he was like he had someone else. So I thought, oh, okay.”

“It’s better for him,” Ware continued after beating the Wizards on how the lineup uses Adebayo. “As you saw tonight, they put a smaller defender on him and had a bigger defender on me. So he could get to things if he wanted to. And he could collapse. He didn’t have a big man boxing him out.”

Adebayo tallied 22 points and eight rebounds while posting an incredible +44 on the floor, while Ware finished with 19 points and 14 rebounds. It remains to be seen if the duo will be used consistently throughout the rest of the season, but there’s no denying the versatility he brings to Miami if Spoelstra continues to work with him.

If anything is certain, it will be used on Monday night against the Jazz, but before that, the Heat are 28-26, which puts them in eighth place in the Eastern Conference.