Miami Heat legend Udonis Haslem made some interesting comments to star big man Bam Adebayo regarding rookie big man Kel’el Ware.
Haslem told Adebayo that Ware is the best center the Heat have.
“Kel’el is our best center,” Haslem told Adebayo. “Kel’el is the best center we have.”
Adebayo reacted.
“You right,” he told Haslem.
Ultimately, Haslem almost certainly doesn’t view Ware as a better player than Adebayo, but he may view Adebayo as more of a power forward than a center in an ideal world.
Months ago, Haslem spoke about the idea of Adebayo playing at power forward.
“I think Bam can play the four [power forward] and move around a little bit,” Haslem said in May. “If we get a center, maybe in the draft or through free agency, then we can move Bam to the four.”
Miami ultimately did add a center in the draft by selecting Ware.
Ware was impressive in the Heat’s preseason opener against the Charlotte Hornets. In 17 minutes of action, he stuffed the stat sheet with 13 points, five rebounds, one assist, two steals and four blocks. He was efficient in the process, shooting 5-for-9 from the field and 1-for-3 from deep.
In the same game, Adebayo showed off his blossoming 3-point shot. The All-Star finished with 13 points of his own, thanks partly to the fact that he went 2-for-5 from deep.
With Ware now in the fold, Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra is going to have some new rotation options. Over the summer, Ware spoke about the idea of playing alongside Adebayo.
“Me and Bam can definitely play beside each other because we complement each other so well,” said Ware. “His position is really the four, and so me coming in as the five man, I can protect the paint and just being able to do what I always do.”
Ware had an impressive college career, and he wrapped it up by averaging 15.9 points, 9.9 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1.9 blocks per game in his 2023-24 season at Indiana University. He also shot 58.6 percent from the field and 42.5 percent from deep.
Adebayo, for his part, also had a strong 2023-24 season, though his came at the NBA level. He averaged 19.3 points, 10.4 rebounds and 3.9 assists per game while remaining one of the league’s best defensive players.
It’s safe to assume that Haslem meant no disrespect to Adebayo with his comments. Perhaps the bigger takeaway should be that the Heat icon seems to have a lot of belief in Ware, a wonderful sign as the new season approaches.
Miami has a handful of preseason games remaining, which will give the team some more chances to sharpen up before its regular season begins on Oct. 23.