My Two Cents: Basketball Life Begins Anew — This Time in the NBA — For Former Hoosier Kel'el Ware

Kel'el Ware only spent one year at Indiana, but his game improved so much that he became the first-round pick of the Miami Heat. He started his NBA career on Wednesday night, and is grateful for his time in Bloomington.

Miami Heat center Kel'el Ware (7) made his NBA debut on Wednesday. He was the No. 15 overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft. / Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

MIAMI, Fla. — There's a lot of pomp and circumstance that goes into the opening night of an NBA season. But for former Indiana standout Kel'el Ware, he doesn't really buy into all the excitement as he prepares to open the 2024-25 season with the Miami Heat.

He's been working hard for months, and living his professional dreams in South Florida. Wednesday night's game against the Orlando Magic — his first regular season game in the NBA — is just the next step in the process.

"I can get where everybody else sees the excitement, but I don't really feel it myself, We've been practicing together for a long time and we've already played (five) preseason games and I've already been out there,'' Ware said during pregame media availability in the Heat's locker room. "I get it, but it really does feel like another night for me.

"But yeah, I'm ready to go.''

Ware, who turned 20 years old in April, spent one season in Bloomington playing for Mike Woodson and the Hoosiers. He transferred there after one year at Oregon as something of a five-star bust. He showed up at IU with question marks about his work ethic and motor, but proved a lot of people wrong. He averaged 15.9 points and 9.9 rebounds a game, and was drafted by the Heat with the 15th overall pick in the first round.

They love what he brings to this Heat team.

"Right away, you notice him defensively. While he is still learning our system, what it shows and what we've been emphasizing to him is that you still have to make plays,'' Heat coach Eric Spoelstra said after their first preseason game against Charlotte on Oct. 8. Ware had 13 points, five rebounds and four blocks — including three blocks on one possession — in just 17 minutes. "Knowing the system will get better for him, but making your presence felt, guarding the rim, blocking shots, going after the ball, rebounding the ball and making sure the opponent feels you when you're getting to the rim, he had his moments of doing all of those things. I was encouraged by how he played.''

Ware only played 29 total minutes in Miami's next three preseason games, but then scored 16 points in 28 minutes last Friday in their final game against Memphis. He's got to fight for minutes like any rookie, but he's ready to go.

He loves being here, too. He's settling into the professional life quickly in Miami, which is a pretty nice place to be. There's a lot to learn — and he is learning. Playing time has to be fought for, though, and that may take some time. He didn't enter Wednesday's game until there were just six minutes remaining — and the Heat trailing by 32 points. He missed his only shot and had one rebound.

It wasn't much, but it's a start.

Miami has an All-Star center in Bam Adebayo, but when Ware was drafted, there was talk of the two of them being able to play together. That didn't happen at all in the opener. Former Hoosier Thomas Bryant was the first center off the bench for Miami, and Nikola Jovic started and got most of the minutes at power forward and had 15 points in the 116-97 loss.

Ware has been putting in the work since arriving in June after the draft. He had a good Summer League in Las Vegas and has been living in the weight room. Being able to focus solely on basketball and his body has been a good thing. That, he said, is the biggest difference between pro ball and the college game.

"I told the trainers when I got here that they were going to see a lot of me (in the weight room), and they have. I've been in the weight room a lot,'' Ware said. "It's been what I've been expecting. I have basketball, and once I leave the gym, I'm just back at my place just chilling and taking care of myself. I'm just trying to get bigger and stronger. I work out every morning, and try to get more upper body work in after practice, too.''

Ware said the transition to a new team and new city has been made easier by the fact that he's already made a move like this before. Learning new things — and meeting new people — at Indiana after a year at Oregon has made all of this much easier. Moving cross-country, twice no less, isn't a simple thing for anyone, let alone an 18-to-20 year old kid.

"It helps me going from one place to another, because you get used to being around new people and learning all about a new place,'' Ware said. "I think what I learned about that at Indiana has made this a little bit easier to get used to here in Miami. I feel comfortable here, and the guys are great in helping me get more comfortable. I feel like I've had a really good first few months here and I'm ready to contribute. I love being here.''

In a small way, Ware has been helping his former team back in Bloomington, too. Indiana's prize in the transfer portal this offseason was former Arizona center Oumar Ballo, a two-time All-Pac-12 center who was the best big man available. He signed with Indiana in part because of what he saw in Ware's improvement under Woodson's tutelage.

“That stuff was really convincing to me to pick this place,” said Ballo, who talked on the phone with Ware and former Hoosier Trayce Jackson-Davis while in the transfer portal.  “I played against (Ware when he was at Oregon), and then in the span of nine months, he was a completely different player. Stuff like that, it's not a cheat code. It's just work that the coaching staff is doing to help guys out.

“It just motivates me because (Woodson) helped those guys to be the best player they could be, so I just have to trust him. And of course, he’s been there and done it and I trust him, and I’m just going to follow him and do whatever he says. That helped my decision coming here. It was a huge transition (for Ware). Seeing him fulfilling his dreams, it's inspiring and I’m happy for him. He’s (Woodson) done a lot of good things with big guys, and that’s why I’m here.''”

I shared those comments from Ballo with Ware on Wednesday in the Heat locker room, and he smiled. He appreciated the kind words.

"I definitely take that as a compliment, but it's also a compliment to the coaches at IU,'' Ware said. "They made me better, for sure. It was only one year, but I'm really grateful for my time at Indiana. Those coaches, those are my guys. And I still keep in touch with a lot of my (former teammates) there, too.''

Thanks to an odd NBA scheduling quirk, the Heat play the Indiana Pacers on back-to-back games in Indianapolis on Friday, Nov. 15 and Sunday, Nov. 17. Ware's former Hoosiers have a home game against South Carolina on that Saturday, so Ware is excited about popping back into Bloomington and seeing everyone, even if it's just for a few hours.

"That place will always be special to me,'' Ware said. "I'll look forward to seeing everybody.''

Ware has an Indiana connection with the Heat, too. Veteran Thomas Bryant played two years at Indiana from 2015 to 2017. Bryant played 16 minutes Wednesday and had seven points.

"Yeah, we guard each other in practice all the time, and we talk about Indiana a little bit, but we don't know many of the same people there,'' said Ware. Bryant played for Tom Crean in Bloomington, two coaches ago. "We talked a little bit about it last week when we went to Memphis because we both had to battle with (former Purdue star) Zach Edey. We talked about him quite a bit.''

Ware and Bryant are two of seven former Hoosiers in the NBA, along with Eric Gordon, Cody Zeller, OG Anunoby, Jackson-Davis and Jalen Hood-Schifino.

Ware is the latest to join that list, and he's glad to be on it.

"When you're a kid, this is what you dream of, playing in the league,'' Ware said. "I'm really looking forward to what comes next.''

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