The Miami Heat are expected to utilize the combo of Bam Adebayo and Kel'el Ware even more next season
The Miami Heat had the dilemma of whether to play Bam Adebayo at center or power forward since he was drafted in 2017.
That is no longer an issue once Kel'el Ware was drafted two years ago. It allowed Adebayo to play his more natural position while Ware deals with the centers.
During exit interviews, Ware said he is excited about the possibility of playing alongside Adebayo even more.
"Just like anything, it takes time, it takes reps," Ware said. "I feel if you got more reps at that, then I feel like it would improve even more. Like I said, it's going to take reps. Obviously, I would hope to continue that."
Adebayo has served as the big brother for Ware in his NBA education. Ware made great strides in his second season, averaging 11.1 points and nine rebounds. He also showed he is a capable 3-point shooter, making 39.5 percent from the arc.
Much of the improvement occurred because of his relationship with Adebayo, who helped the younger adjust to the next level.
"Bam is a great mentor," Ware said. "Like I said, he's been through everything I've been through ... Just getting more of an understanding of each other."
Ware is already focused on what he needs to improve for next season. With the Heat expected to be active during free agency, the organization wants to move forward with Ware as the center of the future. The Ware-Adebayo pairing is only expected to produce more as they continue to develop chemistry.
"I would say definitely being more in the post a little bit, improving there and improving defensively even more," Ware said. "And working on that plus-minus."
MITCHELL WANTS MORE
Heat point Davion Mitchell had a solid season but still feels he somewhat underachieved in areas. He said he wants to arrive at training camp in better shape.
“I felt like I was more disruptive last year than I was this year," Mitchell said. "I think a lot of times that also comes with the pace that we’re playing at. Going into the summer, I got to get more in shape because you can’t play one of the fastest teams and also try to be a good defender if you’re not in shape. It’s just not going to work. Going into the summer, I know the things I need to work on, kind of just get more in shape, still be able to be a disruptive, defensive player, but also be able to pick up the pace when I need to on offense.”
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Shandel Richardson is the publisher of HeatRoundtable. He can be reached at shandelrich@gmail.com