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Heat players need to be professional

Originally posted on thePeachBasket | By Eric Labrador | Last updated Dec 25, 2025 5:12 PM ET

Heat players need to be professional and talk to their coaches or Erik Spoelstra himself if he is calling bad plays. Norman Powell said in the post-game press conference on Tuesday that some players weren’t following the play that Coach Spoelstra would draw up to run. The team is on a losing streak. If it is a question of “tough love” from Spoelstra that has gotten stale, players that haven’t shaken the “shadow of Jimmy Butler” or that they are immature (it is important to get it out in the open.)

Discouraged players

It is not known who Powell was talking about as the Heat Operations do a very good job of “keeping those problems in-house.” But, Powell apparently felt that the season is on a precipice and it will take someone to speak out against “any potential locker room cancers.”

No doubt, there will be headlines in the upcoming weeks showing measures that the team has done to correct issues. At the start of the season, the Heat needed five things to happen during their season. Nikola Jovic has failed to “meet the moment” and is having a tough season. Norman Powell is injured a lot and Tyler Herro is having problems with the fast paced offense.

Spoelstra’s “Tough Love” to Kel’el Ware

As per a tweet from BradyHawk, lead beat writer for 5Reasons Sports, Spoelstra is aware that his “tough love” on Ware isn’t having an effect. Assistant Coach Malik Allen is mentoring Ware and taking the pressure off of the young player. Ware unfortunately is in “a state of limbo” as he is an offensive talent but still doesn’t have the maturity to consistently defend at a high level.

The Shadow of Hassan Whiteside

Erik Spoelstra did not like the rigidness of Hassan Whiteside. So much so that Pat Riley had to intervene between the two men after the playoff loss to Philadelphia in 2018. — Whiteside’s insistence on being the focal point of the offense, his bristling at doing anything outside of scoring, etc. Ware appears to have similar skills as Whiteside but Spoelstra wants the young player to model himself more after Bam Adebayo.

This article first appeared on thePeachBasket and was syndicated with permission.

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