Miami Heat rookie big man Kel’el Ware is finishing off the 2024-25 regular season on a strong note. He entered Sunday’s action averaging a double-double of 11.3 points and 10.2 rebounds to go along with 1.3 blocks per game in the month of April. What makes Ware’s level of play even more impressive is that he spent much of the beginning of the campaign glued to the bench.
Ware is one of several first-year NBA big men who have put together notable campaigns. Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra was asked about how Ware stacks up against other rookie big men who were drafted in the first round in 2024, and while he didn’t give a straight answer, he praised Ware for getting better “every single moment.”
“I haven’t really given it thought in terms of like comparison,” Spoelstra said. “I just know Kel’el has gotten better every single moment. And he’s contributing to winning. He’s learning all the important lessons of accountability, of what leads to winning, the stress of it. I think all of it has been really good for him and has been really impactful.”
The Heat had a dominant win over the New Orleans Pelicans on Friday, and the two-way play of Ware was one key to the victory for Miami. The 20-year-old totaled 10 points on 5-of-10 shooting from the field and chipped in 11 rebounds, two assists and two blocked shots to boot.
That performance marked Ware’s third consecutive outing with double digits in points. He totaled 12 against the Chicago Bulls and 19 against the Philadelphia 76ers in the two prior games.
Ware was drafted by the Heat with the first non-lottery pick in the 2024 NBA Draft and ranks in the top 10 among rookies (who have played at least 40 games) in points (9.2), rebounds (7.4) and blocks (1.1) per game this season.
The neophyte will hope to get his first taste of playoff basketball in the league in the 2025 NBA Playoffs. Miami has secured a spot in the play-in tournament, but the team still has some winning to do if it wants to earn one of the eight playoff spots in the Eastern Conference.
In the meantime, the Heat are trying to take care of business against the Washington Wizards to wrap up the regular season on Sunday before their full focus can shift to the play-in.
