One anonymous NBA figure — who has served as a scout and assistant coach in the league — believes that people will rue the fact that Kel’el Ware fell all the way to the Miami Heat in the 2024 NBA Draft.
The anonymous figure currently works for a team in the Western Conference and was particularly impressed with Ware’s penchant for sending away shots during his Summer League stint.
“They got a steal with Ware,” he told the Miami Herald. “Everyone questioned his motor at Oregon; nobody questioned the talent. And people are going to be disappointed they didn’t take him [before Miami selected him 15th].
“His shot blocking was off the charts in Summer League. He got up and down the floor. He’s always been considered a talented offensive player, but he did it more consistently than people expected. He really shined. This is going to give Bam [Adebayo] the ability to not be at the five [center] full time.”
Ware averaged 1.5 blocks per game across six games played for the Heat in Las Vegas, but he contributed a lot more than just solid rim protection.
The 20-year-old also produced as a scorer. He averaged 18.0 points per game while shooting an efficient 61.8 percent from the floor in Vegas.
While many of his points came within the 3-point arc, Ware flashed a capable 3-point shot as well, as he shot 30.0 percent from deep on 1.7 attempts per contest. It’s worth noting that the big man shot 42.5 percent from deep — albeit on a low volume of attempts — in his final collegiate season.
Ware claimed last month that he thinks he will fit well alongside star big man Bam Adebayo in the Heat’s frontcourt moving forward.
“Me and Bam can definitely play beside each other because we complement each other so well,” said Ware. “His position is really the four, and so me coming in as the five man, I can protect the paint and just being able to do what I always do.”
One doesn’t have to look all that far back in time for an instance where the Heat drafted a player in the middle or late portion of the first round who overachieved.
Miami drafted Jaime Jaquez Jr. with the No. 18 overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft, and Jaquez finished fourth in the league’s Rookie of the Year voting after he averaged 11.9 points, 3.8 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 1.0 steal per contest during the 2023-24 regular season.
The Heat also drafted Nikola Jovic late in the first round of the 2022 NBA Draft, and the 21-year-old played a significant role with the team last season. He started 38 games in the regular season and five in the playoffs after he did not see the floor all that much in his inaugural season in the pros.
