Erik Spoelstra‘s Miami Heat suffered a 103-93 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks in their second game of the preseason. While there were some bright sparks in the game, including Kel’el Ware‘s impressive double-double performance of 18 points and 13 rebounds, Spoelstra remained critical of the Heat big man.

“There was a 3-minute segment where it actually impacted the game, the rest of it has to actually impact the game,” Spoelstra said while speaking about Ware’s performance. “I’m not looking at the stat line, I think everybody is looking at the wrong thing, it’s got to impact the game. The next game, I want him to be a +20.”

“That’s what it’s about. That’s part of the maturation for a young player. He does really good things, and then when you aren’t able to do it consistently, it doesn’t impact the game. Now, you don’t want to have deflating plays; you want to have inspiring plays.”

Erik Spoelstra pointed out one of the defensive plays where Ware came up with a steal at half-court, referring to it as an example of an inspiring play. He continued to explain how that led to a shift in momentum for three minutes.

The Heat head coach emphasized that Ware’s achievements on the stat sheet were of little significance to him. He reiterated that the performances of Nikola Jovic and Jaime Jaquez Jr., who had nine points each, had an impact on the game.

In this regard, the Heat head coach may be focusing more on the plus/minus stat line, as Ware logged a -22, while Jovic and Jaquez Jr. posted +12 each.

Kel’el Ware has been on the receiving end of Spoelstra’s criticism before. Given the expectations Spoelstra has of the big man to develop into a key rotation player, the 21-year-old has embraced the challenge positively, as he’s expressed that he would ensure the franchise doesn’t regret investing in his development.

Erik Spoelstra Has Expectations For The Young Players

After completing the trade for Norman Powell, the Miami Heat became a significantly younger roster. With a talented core at his disposal, it is understandable that Erik Spoelstra has expectations for the younger players on his team.

In a lineup featuring Tyler Herro and Bam Adebayo as the star duo, the Heat features solid veterans such as Powell and Wiggins to provide depth. Given that the bench rotation features players such as Jovic, Jaquez Jr., and Ware, the need for them to embrace a more significant role to become viable contributors will be essential in developing a winning culture.

For the 2025-26 season, the Heat are viewed as a dark horse in the Eastern Conference. Given the potential for this team to secure a playoff berth, Erik Spoelstra will look to the youth on the squad to rise to the challenge.