Miami Heat first-round rookie Kel’el Ware will be sent down to the Sioux Falls Skyforce, the team’s G-League affiliate, for assignment, the team announced Tuesday.
The Skyforce play host to the Windy City Bulls (Chicago’s G-League affiliate) on Thursday at 7:30 p.m. EST on ESPN+.
Ware has appeared in 10 games with the Heat this season, totaling only 69 minutes. He’s scored 24 total points with 16 rebounds, one assist, three steals and five blocks, converting on 40.0 percent of his field goal attempts and 2-of-7 (28.6 percent) from 3-point range.
Even though the G-League is a step down from competition, this is an excellent opportunity for Ware to accumulate extra game reps, given he’s not currently in the Heat’s big-man rotation.
This shouldn’t be viewed as a demotion. It allows him to play a specific role on both ends of the floor for an extended period while also getting the player development feedback necessary from head coach Dan Bisaccio, a former development staffer under Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra.
It’s unclear whether or not how long he will spend time in Sioux Falls. Nikola Jovic was another former Heat rookie who spent time in Sioux Falls as a rookie–and developed over time. Not all growth is linear, and not all players develop the same–but they see this as the proper tool for helping fine-tune Ware’s skillset as a rookie.
