Ware, Jovic share blossoming connection. And Haslem’s advice on a key part of their games
When the Heat’s young bigs see team executive and “Forever Culture Guy” Udonis Haslem, his words occasionally flash through their heads.
“The thing he always tells me is there’s a little thing he used to do,” Nikola Jovic said. “Every three minutes, you have to get one rebound. That’s what he used to go by. There is so much going through my head, so sometimes I’m not really thinking about that. I should think about it a little more.”
Heat center Kel’el Ware has received the message, too: “Haslem says get a rebound every three minutes.”
The 6-10 Jovic and the 7-foot Ware share a unique connectivity they’ve forged on alley-oops, with Ware the recipient of all of those lobs.
But they also share a zeal to become the rebounders and defenders that players of their height, in this defense-first organization, are expected to be.
Lackluster rebounding was something weighing on Ware after a stretch in which he had one or no rebounds in three 10-minute plus appearances late in December and early in January. The tipping point was a no-rebound game in a Jan. 2 loss to Indiana, a game in which he shot 9 for 11 from the field.
“I hadn’t been liking the way I’ve been rebounding,” he said a few days after that Pacers game. “I made it an emphasis” since then.
He has corralled 13, 11 and 15 boards in three of the Heat’s past six games, with those career-high 15 coming in his first NBA start in Tuesday’s loss to Portland. “Coaches are telling me to rebound,” he said. “That’s something I pride myself on.”
He was unhappy he had only six boards in Saturday’s win at Brooklyn and said he should be averaging 10 or more. His next chance comes when the Heat plays host to Orlando on Monday (7:30 p.m., FanDuel Sports Sun).
Ware has risen to 34th in the NBA in rebounds per 36 minutes, at 10.6. That’s tied with teammate Bam Adebayo and more than Cleveland’s Evan Mobley, Boston’s Jayson Tatum, Indiana’s Myles Turner, Minnesota’s Julius Randle and the Lakers’ LeBron James, among hundreds of others.
Ware knows his defense is every bit as important, if not more so. Even on a rare off night offensively Saturday, a game in which he shot 3 for 11, Ware maintained his defensive bent, with three steals and two blocks. His 2.3 blocks per 36 minutes ranks 10th in the league, tied with the Lakers’ Anthony Davis..
His defensive zeal has “definitely increased with being with the Heat,” he said.
Coach Erik Spoelstra said Ware’s defense has been “solid. Pick and roll, different coverages, [he continues] to get better... .We had to find ways to get him on the court.”
For Jovic, the defense and rebounding have been a work in progress, but there have been some good moments of each, including a two-steal, two-block performance in Brooklyn on Saturday.
“He came in and was extremely active defensively and on the glass,” Spoelstra said. “He’s a spark off the bench. His next step is can he still bring that level of activity defensively if his first two threes don’t go down.”
Jovic is holding the player he’s guarding to 45.5 percent shooting, while Ware is at 46.2. Opposing players have shot worse against Jovic and Ware than they do overall, per NBA.com.
As perspective, players have shot 48.8 percent when shooting against Adebayo, though that doesn’t factor in all the times Adebayo assists as a help defender.
“I feel I have a lot of abilities where I can guard a lot of positions,” Jovic said. “Like Spo says, I’ve got to be ready from the jump. As long as I’m locked in, in the right place defensively, I feel I’ll be solid.”
Jovic’s rebounding has been uneven – good at times, underwhelming at others. His 5.9 rebounds per 36 minutes ranks 117th in the league and is down from his 7.7 per 36 last season.
“For someone my size, that should be maybe 7 or 8 [per 36],” he said.
Jovic said nobody implores him to improve his rebounding more than Spoelstra.
“I wouldn’t say I’m a great rebounder,” he said. “I know I can rebound. I feel I’m really kind of inconsistent. I feel like it’s something you have to work on and watch the film on. I have to be better at it.”
Jovic said when he doesn’t rebound as he should, ““I don’t think it’s an effort thing. The thing with me is my positioning is not great. I’m always kind of caught in between, either when I’m running into position or grabbing a rebound.
“Even when I go for a rebound, I’m in between or not near the basket or I’m not far away from the basket where the long shots go. It’s either too short for me, or it’s too long for me.
“Certain numbers tell where the ball usually bounces when it’s a three-point shot. These days, teams shoot so many three-point shots, and it’s bouncing so far away from the rim. I have to be smart about it.”
His rebounding is especially important because of his unique skill, at 6-10, to dribble downcourt and facilitate a fast break after snatching a rebound. That skill was particularly on display when he corralled eight boards earlier this month in a win at Portland, the only time this season that he has topped seven rebounds.
Nevertheless, his game has grown in the past month.
“You can plug him into a lot of different roles, on both sides of the court,” Spoelstra said. “I’m encouraged that he’s been able to find that role in being a spark for us.”
Meanwhile, the two young bigs have developed a chemistry. Jovic has thrown nine lobs to Ware for dunks. Only Tyler Herro (25) has assisted on more Ware baskets than Jovic, who has 17 assists to Ware. No other Heat player has more than 10 assists to Ware.
“My rook’s been playing great,” Jovic said. “He’s easy to play with.”
This story was originally published January 26, 2025 at 10:15 AM.
