""The last four days of preseason, [Kel'el Ware and Nikola Jovic] were both hurt," Spoelstra said after the Heat's 146-114 win over Memphis. " Minor injuries, but I didn't know who was going to be available that first night. I was kind of leaning toward this starting lineup going into game one. And then Kel'el had a neck spasm. Then he had a minor sprained ankle, where he didn't practice a day before the game. But he was moving great in the Orlando game. If I would have known that, I would like to have had more minutes for him.""
""This is a good way to get all three of those guys (Ware, Jovic, Bam Adebayo) minutes they need. "There might be certain games where it makes more sense to start Niko. It doesn't really matter, in my mind. ... Those guys are going to get minutes and we need Kel'el and Niko to grow and assume more responsibilities as the season goes on.""
Kel'el Ware and Nikola Jovic entered the 2025-26 season with inconsistent preseason play and minor injuries. Erik Spoelstra started Jovic on opening night because Ware experienced a neck spasm and a sprained ankle late in preseason. Ware had started 36 games the previous season and later replaced Jovic in the lineup. The coaching staff is managing minutes among Ware, Jovic and Bam Adebayo to foster growth and assume greater responsibilities. Spoelstra indicated that starting assignments may vary by matchup and emphasized the need for both young bigs to develop through consistent playing time.
Read at Hot Hot Hoops - Miami HEAT NBA Blog
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