In the moment, it appeared as little more than an innocuous substitution as Heat coach Erik Spoelstra cycled through his rotation in the hopes of finding something that would work while down

With the Heat putting Bam Adebayo and Kel'el Ware together, Duncan Robinson is a crucial piece to that puzzle. Robinson had been in and out of the starting lineup for Miami this season but with the new look being Adebayo,

Miami Heat center Kel'el Ware has emerged as the front-runner to win the NBA Rookie of the Year award following a strong run of late, according to the BetMGM Sportsbook. Ware is averaging 8.

When Kel’el Ware was drafted 15th by the Miami Heat last June, it wasn’t certain when the Indiana product would break into Miami’s rotation — after all, Heat coach Erik Spoelstra focuses more on the game ahead than he presumes anything about the big picture.

Before the calendar flipped to 2025, Miami Heat rookie Kel’el Ware had not recorded a game with double-digit points in his young NBA career. Now in the final week of January, the North Little Rock alumnus is the betting favorite to become the Heat’s first Rookie of the Year winner after working his way up from being third-string.