Rising star for Miami Heat is cleared for opening vs. Magic

It was a two-ailment week for Kel'el Ware.

The Miami Heat's second-year center, who led all NBA players in total points in the preseason as Erik Spoelstra tries to push him toward his full potential, had neck spasms and a sprained ankle.

But after some pregame work in Orlando, Ware was cleared to play in the season opener Wednesday night.

Heat says Kel’el Ware (sprained ankle) will be available for tonight’s opener.

Only Heat players out are Tyler Herro and Kasparas Jakucionis.
— Anthony Chiang (@Anthony_Chiang) October 22, 2025

Ware will be needed against Orlando's big frontline, with Wendell Carter Jr., Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner starting, and Goga Bitadze coming off the bench. The Heat don't have much else in reserve, just two-way-contract rookie Vlad Goldin (who is with the team) and undersized power forward Keshad Johnson, who has received limited playing time at the NBA level.

Many have high expectations for Ware this season; The Athletic recently predicted he would become the best player out of the 2024 NBA Draft, even though he wasn't picked until the 15th slot.

The Athletic predict that Kel’el Ware will be the best player from the 2024 draft:

“This is no offense to Stephon Castle, but I think Ware ends up having an incredible season next to Bam. He shows that, at least through 2 seasons, he’s the best player from a pretty rough draft.”… pic.twitter.com/H0jq2NjWHA
— 𝙃𝙚𝙖𝙩𝘾𝙪𝙡𝙩𝙪𝙧𝙚 (@WadexFlash) October 22, 2025

The talent is evident; much will depend on his motor. Ware was more consistent in the preseason than in summer league, but Spoelstra will harp on the little things that he doesn't deem all that little, such as boxing out, locking in on the pick-and-roll and grabbing rebounds with both hands.

One thing that should be better than last season -- Ware's overall strength. He did get in the weight room his summer, and while the transformation isn't as pronounced as what teammate Nikola Jovic has shown, he does appear more muscular than he was as a rookie, when he was named second-team All-Rookie.

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