**LOS ANGELES — Observations and Notes from the Heat’s 130-120 Loss to the Lakers**
By his words, Heat coach Erik Spoelstra has expressed confidence in the potential of Kel’el Ware. By his actions, however, the story has been somewhat different — both this season and again on Sunday night.
Ware’s initial stint against the Lakers was his only one in the first half. At the start of the second half, he was benched in favor of Jaime Jaquez Jr., unable to keep pace with the Heat’s approach. Frankly, the Heat’s style does not necessarily suit Ware’s skill set. Yes, he is a lob threat, but when it comes to the Heat’s attack-and-kick offense, Ware has yet to get fully up to speed.
His first action of Sunday night’s second half did not come until he was inserted with 69 seconds left in the third period. In Thursday night’s loss in San Antonio, Ware was a team-worst minus-20 while going scoreless. While Spoelstra didn’t explicitly call out the Heat’s 2024 first-round pick after that game, he did allude to the need for the 7-footer to do more.
As it stands, the Heat’s options in the middle are limited. Nikola Jovic and Simone Fontecchio might be playing significant roles, but neither is a center. Bam Adebayo prefers not to play center. Vlad Goldin has been sent to the G League. So the runway is there for Ware — but so far, there hasn’t been liftoff, albeit with more energy when he returned for a second stint on Sunday night. This game, he logged 12 total minutes.
With Norman Powell (groin) missing his third consecutive game, the Heat again opened with a lineup of Ware, Adebayo, Andrew Wiggins, Davion Mitchell, and Pelle Larsson. Inactive for the Heat were Tyler Herro (ankle), Kasparas Jakucionis (groin), Vlad Goldin (G League), and Terry Rozier (not with the team). Powell was listed as an active scratch.
The Lakers opened with Jaxson Hayes, Luka Doncic, Austin Reaves, Marcus Smart, and Rui Hachimura on the floor. Deandre Ayton was out due to back spasms. Defensively, Mitchell took on Doncic while Wiggins guarded Reaves. The Lakers jumped out to an 8-0 start and continued momentum to a 77-point first half.
Jaime Jaquez Jr. eventually entered the game for Ware with 6:07 remaining in the opening quarter, with the Heat trailing 23-13. Among the highlights of the early Lakers run was Hayes’ first three-pointer since January 2, 2023, back when he played for the Pelicans. Jaquez made an immediate impact, scoring six points in his first two minutes on the court.
Off the bench for the Heat, Nikola Jovic was the second substitution, followed by Simone Fontecchio and Dru Smith, rounding out a nine-man rotation. Keshad Johnson remained the lone player from the standard roster not seeing game action.
Andrew Wiggins reached a milestone in this game, marking his 700th career regular-season game scoring in double figures.
**Coach Spoelstra on Luka Doncic and Team USA Prospects**
Asked pregame about Luka Doncic, Spoelstra reflected on his first time seeing the Slovenian star in action. “I will never, ever forget it. I went to watch Goran Dragic in EuroBasket, attending their training camp. Luka was 18 years old, and everyone in the gym was stunned by how cerebral his game was. He could see all the reads, the weak-side rotations — he just picked you apart.”
When asked whether his scouting had begun in his role as coach of Team USA’s 2028 Olympic team — specifically about Austin Reaves — Spoelstra replied, “Not yet, but I really enjoyed my time working with him as an assistant coach with the World Cup team.”
**On the Heat’s Pace and New Offense**
Regarding the Heat’s evolving pace and offense, Spoelstra said, “We’re just trying to build something that makes sense for this roster. We’re not trying to reinvent the wheel. It’s about doing something that fits our team and maximizing it as much as possible. The guys have gained confidence with that. Where it ultimately lands, these games will tell us.”
**Additional Notes**
– Marcus Smart recorded a steal just 11 seconds into the game, marking the 1,000th steal of his career.
– Udonis Haslem was present in the Heat’s pregame locker room.
– Heat President Pat Riley attended the game from the stands.
– Sunday’s matchup was the first of 10 November games against teams that made the 2025 playoffs.
– The game also opened the first of the Heat’s 15 back-to-back sets this season, continuing with a Monday night game against the Clippers.
– During a first-quarter timeout, the Dodgers’ recent World Series championship was commemorated.
https://www.sun-sentinel.com/2025/11/03/windermans-view-wheres-ware-the-question-endures-for-heat-in-loss-to-lakers/
