MIAMI — More than a few times over the past two seasons, the easiest measure of the total minutes in an NBA game has been to add together the playing time of Bam Adebayo and Kel’el Ware.
As in Adebayo playing 28:48 in Wednesday night’s return from a six-game absence and Ware playing 19:12 in the 110-96 victory over the Golden State Warriors at Kaseya Center.
As in the full 48 minutes on the nose.
The next question with Adebayo back is whether the math remains similar, which likely would cap Ware at about 18 minutes, barring injuries or foul trouble.
By contrast, Ware had played at least 28 minutes in each of the games he started when Adebayo was out with his toe sprain, before Ware was moved back to a reserve role Wednesday night.
“I mentioned that to the team, that it’s not easy to be starting, playing really well, and really making an impact as a starter, and then to come off the bench and still have a big impact in 19 minutes,” coach Erik Spoelstra said. “That 16 rebounds is exceptional. But it was more about his mindset.”
The temptation, Spoelstra said, was for more Ware against the Warriors.
“I was thinking about going bigger,” Spoelstra said, “but that would have given them an advantage. But that’s something that we can definitely build on, the fact that he still had an impact.”
Ware said he knew with Adebayo returning, something had to give. What gave were his minutes.
“I’ve seen it coming,” he said. “So in my minutes, I’m just going to get to the boards.”
The rebounding volume Wednesday by Ware was impressive, Adebayo said, but what stood out was the relentlessness.
“He’s figuring it out,” Adebayo said of the 2024 first-round pick out of Indiana. “I’ve always told him, like it doesn’t have to be 15 and 15 for you to impact winning. Sometimes it might be, what did he have, seven points? Whether it’s 16 rebounds, I don’t know how many altered shots.”
Guard Norman Powell said he appreciated Ware answering the call after being shifted back to the bench.
“It’s tough for a young guy to do that,” Powell said. “He’s playing well as a starter in his opportunity with Bam being out, and I also thought that he probably would have played a lot more, too. It was just the play style and the size with Golden State being a lot of small ball.
“But I thought he was great, mentally still being locked in, making those second and third efforts and not letting anything affect him, whether he was starting or coming off the bench, whether his shots were going in or not. He was really active, keeping plays alive, making it difficult for them when they were attacking the rim, and then securing the possession on the rebounds to get us out and going
“So big from him to take that next step in maturity and play his game in whatever role is given to him.”
Three left back
Tyler Herro, Nikola Jovic and Andrew Wiggins did not travel on Thursday to Chicago, where the Heat will play the Bulls on Friday at the United Center at the start of a two-game trip that concludes Sunday against the Philadelphia 76ers.
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Herro, who has been out since September ankle surgery, had traveled on recent trips. He spoke this week about a possible return next week during the Heat’s homestand against the Dallas Mavericks (Monday), Milwaukee Bucks (Wednesday) and Detroit Pistons (Saturday).
Jovic, who missed Wednesday night’s game with a hip impingement, had been hopeful of returning Friday.
Wiggins is listed with a left hip flexor strain, an injury not mentioned after Wednesday night’s victory.
NBA Cup
Up next for the Heat is their third of four pool-play games in the NBA Cup, Friday’s matchup against the Bulls.
The Heat and Bulls are 1-1 so far in the in-season tournament, with the loser to be eliminated from the opportunity to advance from pool play.
The Heat’s final NBA Cup game in pool play is Wednesday night against the Bucks.
By winning against the Bulls and Bucks, the Heat would stand positioned to either advance by winning their group or perhaps as the Eastern Conference’s wild-card team.
Point differential in pool play is among the primary tiebreakers in the NBA Cup, with the Heat currently +10, while the Bulls are -6. The Bucks lead the group at 2-0, at +16 in point differential.
All games in pool play also count toward the NBA regular-season standings.
