Miami Heat forward Nikola Jovic shared that he finds it simpler to play alongside rookie Kel’el Ware on offense than Heat star Bam Adebayo.
Talked to Jovic about playing with Ware. He said it’s simpler offensively than playing with Bam.
I’ll get into it more on @5OTF_ but I think they found their backup big combo.
— Five Reasons Sports 🏀🏈⚾️🏒⚽️ (@5ReasonsSports) December 24, 2024
Now, it’s possible that Ware, who is less offensively developed than Adebayo at this stage in his career, is easier to play with since he doesn’t command the ball as much as Adebayo.
So far this season, Adebayo is third on the Heat in points per game (16.7) and is averaging 4.8 assists per game as well. A solid passer from the center position, Adebayo has also added a 3-point shot to his arsenal in the 2024-25 season.
In 27 games, Adebayo is shooting 30.3 percent from 3 on 2.8 attempts per game. Ware can also shoot the 3-ball (he’s attempting 0.8 per game), knocking down 33.3 percent of his attempts for Miami across 12 games.
Jovic has played a variety of roles for Miami this season, appearing in 18 games and making nine starts. He’s gotten to play alongside Ware and Adebayo, and it appears that the former first-round pick is enjoying the simplicity of playing with the rookie.
This season, Jovic is averaging 8.4 points, 3.4 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game while shooting 45.5 percent from the field and 36.8 percent from 3. It’s possible that if he plays well alongside Ware that Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra will keep the young duo together in the frontcourt going forward.
After winning against the Brooklyn Nets on Monday night, the Heat are 14-13 on the season. They snapped a three-game losing streak with the win over Brooklyn and hold the No. 6 seed in the Eastern Conference.
Ware could be in line for more minutes for Miami going forward after it traded Thomas Bryant to the Indiana Pacers earlier this month. A first-round pick in the 2024 NBA Draft, Ware is averaging just 8.3 minutes per game so far this season.
Adebayo, Ware and veteran Kevin Love are three frontcourt players that may be paired with Jovic at various points in the 2024-25 season as Spoelstra looks to find a winning combination for Miami.
