The Heat Are Ignoring Their Best Fix And It’s Costing Them

The numbers show promise, but Miami hasn’t fully committed to the duo

Apr 1, 2026; Miami, Florida, USA; Miami Heat president Pat Riley looks on after the game against the Boston Celtics at Kaseya Center. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images | Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

The Miami Heat are who we think they are. They are currently 10th in the East and their season is slowly slipping away. The Heat will be in the NBA Play-in Tournament for the 4 straight year.

The Kevin O’Connor Show featuring Kevin O’Connor and Tom Haberstroh talked about the Miami Heat and they zeroed in on one thing: the underused pairing of Bam Adebayo and Kel'el Ware.

Back in late February and early March, the duo of Bam and Kel'el actually looked promising. The two big lineups brought energy, size, and defensive versatility, and it felt like something the Heat could build on. According to O’Connor, it was trending toward becoming a bigger part of Miami’s rotation down the stretch, but as of late, that's not the case.

Kevin O’Connor and Tom Haberstroh on the HEAT’s Bam Adebayo–Kel’el Ware pairing:

“Back in February-Early March, We had talked about how the Bam Adebayo–Kel’el Ware frontcourt was starting to excel. But over this stretch, they’ve played 9 games together and only 68 minutes… I’m… pic.twitter.com/HdH0qgEiWO

— Heat Diehards (@HeatDiehards) April 2, 2026

The Miami heat are currently on a 3-8 skid, and Bam and Ware have only shared the floor in 9 of those games and for only 68 total minutes.

In that time, the Defensive Rating is 106.8, the Offensive Rating is 104.2, and their net rating is negative. The offense hasn’t clicked, no doubt. But here’s the thing: the Heat’s offense hasn’t clicked all year. Miami has been consistently undersized, and it shows up in the worst moments, getting bullied inside, giving up second-chance points, and struggling against bigger frontcourts like Cleveland or Boston. That’s not a scheme problem. That’s a personnel problem.

So why not invest in something that at least helps fix your biggest issue?

Mar 6, 2026; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Charlotte Hornets center Ryan Kalkbrenner (11) looks to pass as he is defended by Miami Heat center Kel’el Ware (7) during the second half at the Spectrum Center. Mandatory Credit: Sam Sharpe-Imagn Images | Sam Sharpe-Imagn Images

O’Connor even pointed out how surprising it is that Miami hasn’t leaned more into the pairing, especially considering how bad the team defense has been overall. If your identity is slipping, why not double down on something that could stabilize it?

Haberstroh took it a step further, suggesting there might be something deeper going on, possibly a lack of trust from Erik Spoelstra toward Ware. He also mentioned the team doesn’t look connected defensively, which could explain the hesitation.

The Heat need to just play Ware, he isn’t perfect, he has missed rotations, has offensive limitations, but that’s part of development, and Miami desperately needs to figure out what they have in him.

The Heat have no reason to be conservative. Even if Ware is making mistakes, you have to see what the Bam and Ware duo looks like and give them extended minutes and opportunites. Ware is still only 21 years old, he has plenty of time to figure this out and growth is not always linear.