Bam Adebayo Feels Kel'el Ware Could Transform Miami Heat's Future

Anthony Pasciolla | Jun 28, 2024

Jun 26, 2024; Brooklyn, NY, USA; Kel'el Ware poses for photos with NBA commissioner Adam Silver after being selected in the first round by the Miami Heat in the 2024 NBA Draft at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports / Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

Miami Heat All-Star Bam Adebayo is gaining assistance in the front court as the front office selected Indiana Hoosiers' Kel'el Ware in Wednesday's NBA Draft.

The Heat opted to draft Ware over prospects such as 76ers' Jared McCain or Lakers' Dalton Knecht because of the void for the former Hoosier fills in the rotation. Adebayo, at 6-foot-9, holds his own against bigger competition, but admitted how ideal it is having a larger center to back him up.

"It definitely opens up to where your mind can go to place to where in the past it couldn't and being able to expand and grow as a player. Also being able to see his development as a young 7-footer coming into this league," Adebayo said on the Tobin Show. "Knowing the standard is always going to rise. You look at that and his potential of what we can be in the future."

Ware is a massive upgrade in the size department at 7-feet, 240 pounds, with strong athletic tools on both ends of the floor. He had 15 double-doubles in 30 games and blocked three or more shots in eight games in his sophomore campaign at Indiana. While fans questioned the pick, the Heat proved with their recent selections to never doubt team president Pat Riley. Last year, the team drafted former UCLA forward Jaime Jaquez Jr., who panned out into one of the class' top rookies, earning a spot on the NBA's All-Rookie First Team.

Anthony Pasciolla works as a contributing writer to Inside the Heat. He can be reached at ampasciolla@gmail.com or follow him on X @AnthonyPasci.

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