Knicks head coach Mike Brown had high praise for Kel’el Ware following Sunday’s loss in New York, pointing to the second-year center as one of the biggest reasons the game tilted in Miami’s favor, via Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald.
Ware delivered one of the strongest performances of his young career, finishing with 28 points on highly efficient shooting while also grabbing 19 rebounds in 35 minutes of action.
Brown made it clear that Ware’s impact went far beyond the box score, especially on the glass.
“I’ll tell you, Kel’el Ware, he was a beast tonight on the glass,” the coach said while opening his postgame remarks.
He added that it was one of the rare occasions his team was thoroughly outworked in rebounding, crediting Ware for dominating on both ends of the floor.
Brown also noted how difficult it was to slow him down offensively, pointing out how well he shot the ball and how challenging it is to contest someone with his size and range.
The Knicks were aware of Ware’s recent shooting success coming into the game, but Brown admitted that knowing it and stopping it were two different things.
He explained that defenders often had to close out aggressively just to take away clean looks, yet even that wasn’t enough.
With his ability to stretch the floor and control the paint, Ware consistently put pressure on New York’s defense, turning the matchup into one of the most impressive outings of his career.
Heat Notes: Slump, Adebayo, Herro, Larsson, Jovic, Ware https://t.co/1GWQcMJp5N pic.twitter.com/j9dXz2Z6Lz
— Hoops Rumors (@HoopsRumors) December 26, 2025
