The Miami Heat held the No. 15 overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft, and with that pick, they selected big man Kel’el Ware out of Indiana University.
The Philadelphia 76ers picked right after the Heat at No. 16, and they selected a player that might go down as one of the steals of the draft in Jared McCain. He is averaging 15.6 points per game so far in the 2024-25 regular season, and he’s scored 20-plus points in each of his last six appearances.
The Ringer’s Bill Simmons recently criticized Miami and said the organization “whiffed” on its pick.
To add insult to injury, the player who was picked at No. 17 is also having a strong rookie season. The Los Angeles Lakers snagged sharpshooter Dalton Knecht out of the University of Tennessee, and he has made an immediate impact for them.
Ware’s early returns in a Heat uniform have been a mixed bag to this point. His opportunities have been limited. On one hand, he put together a performance somewhat recently where he showed his impressive potential as an interior defender.
In Miami’s win over the Minnesota Timberwolves earlier in the month on Nov. 10, he logged under 10 minutes of playing time off the pine, yet he finished tied with big man Bam Adebayo for a game-high in blocked shots with three.
But on the other hand, Ware isn’t exactly stuffing the box score in his first NBA season. He’s averaging just 2.3 points, 1.1 rebounds and 0.5 blocks per game in his limited minutes.
Meanwhile, McCain might just be the favorite to win the Rookie of the Year award at this juncture.
The youngster’s defining trait is his knack for putting the ball through the hoop, but he’s also served as a quality secondary playmaker for the 76ers of late. He has dished out four or more assists in Philadelphia’s last four games, and he totaled a career-high 10 assists to go along with only three turnovers against the Cleveland Cavaliers on Nov. 13.
In addition to averaging 15.6 points per game, McCain is shooting 47.5 percent from the field and 41.0 percent from deep. Over in Los Angeles, Knecht is averaging 11.7 points per game while shooting 52.0 percent from the field and 46.1 percent from long range.
It’s probably too early to declare Ware a whiff of a pick for Miami, as he could still evolve into a consistent NBA contributor. However, McCain is already just that (as is Knecht), and that type of help would go a long way for the Heat right now.