Jack’s Take: Kel’el Ware Fortunate To Land With Miami Heat
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – The NBA Draft is far from an exact science.
Scan draft boards from every year and you’ll find a mix of top-10 busts, steals in the 20s and even some second-round gems. Picks like Johnny Flynn going one spot ahead of No. 7 pick Steph Curry in 2009 are just as head-scratching as three-time MVP Nikola Jokic going No. 41 overall in 2014.
Those hits and misses can make or break organizations, but the Miami Heat is one that has achieved a consistent level of success with 25 playoff appearances and three NBA championships in its 36 seasons of existence.
That track record, along with his fit on the roster, made Miami an ideal place for Indiana center Kel’el Ware to begin his career as the No. 15 overall pick in Wednesday’s 2024 NBA Draft. Ware has a unique, high-upside skill set as a 7-footer, and he’s willing to do whatever it takes for Miami to continue its winning ways.
“Everything that they need me to bring, whatever they need me to bring,” Ware said. “That’s all I gotta say. I’m just so grateful they picked me.”
“He’s so excited to be here,” said Adam Simon, who enters his 29th season with the Heat and fifth as its vice president of basketball operations and assistant general manager. “He wanted to be here. He was really fired up as I was speaking to him after the draft. I think this is a perfect place for him, and I think it’s a great match for Kel’el to maximize his skill set.”
The moment @KelelWare's name got called. #ProIU ❌ @MiamiHEAT pic.twitter.com/wKEdwRt4Lx
— Indiana Basketball (@IndianaMBB) June 27, 2024
Miami drafts well – like taking NBA All-Rookie first-team forward Jaime Jaquez No. 18 overall last season, or getting All-Star and All-Defensive team big man Bam Adebayo at No. 14 in 2017, or getting 20-point per game scorer Tyler Herro with the 13th pick in 2019. They’ve also found undrafted diamonds in the rough like Derrick Jones Jr., Duncan Robinson, Max Strus, Gabe Vincent and others. They’re one of, if not the best, organizations in the NBA when it comes to talent evaluation, and it translates to winning.
Pat Riley has been a constant force for the Heat. With Riley as head coach beginning in 1995, Miami made eight playoff appearances in 11 seasons and won the NBA championship in 2006. He stepped down as head coach in 2008 and has been one of the league’s best team presidents ever since.
Ware also gets to play for Erik Spoelstra, who was named among the top-15 head coaches in NBA history in a 2024 list selected by 43 current and former NBA head coaches.
Simon said going into the draft the Heat’s goal is to pick the best player available. If it happens to be a position of need, that’s a bonus. He said Wednesday night Ware “was definitely higher than 15” on their draft board.
Simon described Ware as a 3-and-D center, saying it’s not easy to find 7-footers who can play on the perimeter offensively while still being a force in the paint on both ends, which made Ware very appealing.
When Ware was drafted by the Heat, some may have initially questioned the roster fit given that Miami already has Adebayo – a 6-foot-9, 26-year-old who averaged 19.3 points and 10.3 rebounds last season and has finished top five in Defensive Player of the Year voting each of the last five seasons. But during the ESPN broadcast, analyst Stephen A. Smith explained that Miami wants to shift its lineup approach with Adebayo.
"The Miami Heat know that Bam Adebayo – as great as he is, and congratulations on him getting his bag – he doesn't really need to be at the five,” Smith said. “He needs to be playing with another big in their lineup. If you're a guy that can average 16 and 10, you got two blocked shots to go with it, you're a legit 7-feet tall, you got a 7-foot-3 wingspan, that's a big, big deal. That's somebody that can take some of the pressure off of Bam Adebayo. And keep in mind, [Ware] played for former Knicks coach Mike Woodson, who's done a good job at Indiana and knows a thing or two about what it takes to succeed on the NBA level."
Quick phone call with Pat Riley, then it’s time to get to work 📱 pic.twitter.com/YAS07VETXl
— Miami HEAT (@MiamiHEAT) June 27, 2024
In a way, Ware and Adebayo cover each other’s weaknesses. Adebayo has made just 22 3-point shots in his NBA career, and Ware’s willingness to play on the perimeter – he shot 42.5% from 3-point range at Indiana – makes coexisting with Adebayo a possible and attractive combination. And as Ware adjust to the NBA, namely filling out his 7-foot frame and 7-foot-4.5 inch wingspan, Adebayo can provide the physicality.
“Yeah, moving [Adebayo] to the four and I’m at the five, that’s a scary duo,” Ware said. “I’m gonna keep saying that all night. Scary duo.”
Miami's defense could also be quite intimidating with Adebayo and Ware blocking or altering shots inside. Simon said the Heat will have to teach Ware different defensive coverages, but they were intrigued by his length and lateral movement. Miami did extensive background research on Ware, talking to his previous coaches at each stop, and concluded the work ethic was there to make these necessary improvements in the NBA.
“I think he’s scratching the surface,” Simon said. “I know he’s gonna work. We feel good about the work we put in to learn about him. ... Everybody says he’s a willing worker and he wants to get better. I think defensively he’s got that base that he’ll be able to do everything that we ask him to do.”
As a five-star recruit and McDonald’s All-American, Ware began his college career at Oregon. But his freshman season didn’t go as planned. Ware was publicly called out by coach Dana Altman for his lack of effort, and he finished the season averaging 6.6 points and 4.1 rebounds per game, primarily coming off the bench.
But Ware did a lot to alleviate those concerns in one season at Indiana under Woodson. He averaged 15.9 points, 9.9 rebounds and 1.9 blocks per game on his way to making the All-Big Ten second team and Big Ten All-Defensive team.
“A lot of people go into the transfer portal for money,” Ware said Wednesday. “I went [to Indiana] for the right fit, and I found the right fit. That definitely helped my career. Going into my sophomore season, actually getting to know the coaches and just learning more things about the team just before I made the decision."
“Kel’el is the prototypical big man in today’s NBA," Woodson said in a news release on draft night. "He can block shots at the rim, hold up defensively in the pick-and-roll, and is a great lob threat on the other end of the floor. He impressed me with his ability to catch and shoot the basketball at a high level and that is what the next level is looking for. He is a quiet kid that goes about his business in a professional way. He handled the adversity thrown his way to start his college career and responded in a big way for our ball club this season. We are really excited to see the way his career plays out in Miami.”
Simon called the motor concerns “a low-hanging fruit description” of Ware.
“Kel’el is not that,” Simon said. “I think he went to Oregon, was playing behind an established player, an older player. He played in every game out there. He saw a better situation for himself to go to Indiana, and for him, he showed what he can do. He played with a motor. He played with intensity. I think we’re talking about a young player that has an edge to him, and he doesn’t feel like that description of him – I think he has shown that he’s going to come out and put points on the board. He can block shots, he rebounds. To me, that doesn’t seem like a player that fits that description.”
Ware has “Humble Beast'' tattooed on his shoulder, which speaks to his approach to basketball and motivation moving forward.
“You’re not supposed to get too high on yourself,” Ware said on draft night. “So I always want to stay humble, but on the court I can always bring that beast out.”
Success or failure in the NBA can sometimes be determined by roster fit and opportunity. Just ask former Indiana center Trayce Jackson-Davis, last year’s 57th pick, who far out-performed his draft slot by finishing 11th in NBA All-Rookie voting.
Ware will have his introductory press conference Friday in Miami. And after landing in a well-run organization with a winning culture, attractive roster, top head coach and strong front office in Miami, Ware appears to be in a great spot to begin his NBA career.
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JACK ANKONY
Jack Ankony is a Sports Illustrated/FanNation writer for HoosiersNow.com. He graduated from Indiana University's Media School with a degree in journalism. Follow on Twitter @ankony_jack.