Big men Bam Adebayo and Kel’el Ware have expressed interest in sharing the court more often, though both understand that increased playing time together must be backed by better results, Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald reports.
For much of the season, the Adebayo/Ware combination was statistically among Miami’s least effective two-man combinations, but recent performances suggest the duo may be starting to find a better rhythm, Chiang added.
In a game against the Rockets, the Heat leaned more heavily on the duo, and Miami defeated Houston by 21 points during the 16 minutes they played together.
“I mean, it felt good,” Ware said. “It felt like the days I played next to him recently. So I mean, it felt good.”
To help maximize the combination, head coach Erik Spoelstra introduced a tactical adjustment by deploying the two big men within a zone defense scheme, according to Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.
The change seemed to highlight both players’ strengths on defense.
“Both guys were really good in our zone,” Spoelstra said.
“Kel’el, that was one of his better jobs in the zone, just communicating and protecting in that inner circle… Bam was super dynamic in the center position in the zone, and if you play him on the wing (in the zone), he’s also our best fullback.”
Southeast Notes: Knueppel, Hornets, Heat Bigs, Kispert https://t.co/UXWK4oHN8O pic.twitter.com/EtaDRYUDSz
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