Why Heat’s Kel’el Ware is unfazed by Erik Spoelstra’s hard coaching

With the Miami Heat looking to get back on track as the team has lost eight of its last nine games, one bright spot has been the recent play of second-year center Kel’el Ware. As Ware had been on an impressive stretch with the Heat, there’s no denying that there was hard coaching along the way, as the young big man talks about it.

While fans have been paying attention to the coaching that Ware has received from head coach Erik Spoelstra, he’s not the only one to treat the player that way, as previous college coaches Dana Altman at Oregon and Mike Woodson at Indiana did the same. As they and Spoelstra have challenged Ware time and time again, the 21-year-old doesn’t take it personally, saying that he is “used to it.”

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

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

“I’ve been getting coached like that,” Ware said. “So it’s not much of a big thing to me, I would say. I just take it as they want to see me be better and be a better version of myself.

“I’ve kind of gotten used to this way of coaching,” Ware continued. “So that’s why I say I don’t really pay that much mind to it. It doesn’t really affect me in that way because I’m used to it.”

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While the Heat will continue to challenge Ware as time goes on, there’s no denying that the coaching has paid off to where he is today, and hopefully, how he progresses. Spoelstra would say to ClutchPoints that his progression doesn’t have to be linear.

“I want there to be some surprises, not only with Kel’el but with other guys,” Spoelstra said. “He’s handling it appropriately, and he’s being held accountable to winning things. It’s not like a negative thing. We all want the same thing, we want a better result. We want growth faster. I want him to be like he’s 28, and that’s not realistic, and that a little bit of impatience is good, as long as everybody handles it appropriately. But his play, obviously, is improving, and I want to fuel that.”

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

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

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

Full response w/ great insight: #HeatNation pic.twitter.com/tD22t5keqn

— Zachary Weinberger (@ZachWeinberger) December 23, 2025

At any rate, Ware will continue to impress for Miami as the next opportunity is on Friday against the Atlanta Hawks with the team at a 15-15 record.

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