Miami Heat Rookie Kel'el Ware Shines In Preseason Debut

Bryan Townes | 3 Hours Ago

Oct 8, 2024; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Miami Heat center Kel'el Ware (7) blocks a shot by Charlotte Hornets forward Keyontae Johnson (7) during the second half at Spectrum Center. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images / Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

Fans started to worry after not seeing Kel’El Ware get an opportunity in the first half of the Miami Heat preseason opener against the Charlotte Hornets.

Bam Adebayo, Kevin Love, and Thomas Bryant all played minutes in the first half and most of the third quarter before Ware. However, with 4:36 left in the third quarter, Ware did not disappoint when he finally checked into the game.

Ware finished with 13 points, five rebounds, two steals, and four blocks on 55.6 percent shooting in 16 minutes.

Ware started off slow. His first shot attempt was a pick-and-roll to the basket, where Isaiah Stevens gave a nice pass inside, but Ware fumbled the ball out of bounds. He made up for it a few possessions later on another pick-and-roll attempt, which led to a thunderous dunk in the paint. He followed that dunk with another pick-and-roll to the basket for his second dunk of the game. 

Ware’s elite performance did not just showcase his interior abilities. He also hit his first three-point attempt of the game for a wide-open catch-and-shoot shot. Later, he displayed his skills to pick-and-pop for a mid-range jump shot. 

There can be arguments his defensive performance outshined offense for the night. Ware had four blocks and two steals. Three of his blocks came within a few possessions of each other, and he spiked each ball out of bounds as he displayed help-side defense.

Bryan Townes is a contributor to Miami Heat On SI. He can be reached at btownesjr@gmail.com or on X @bryantownesjr11. Follow our coverage on Facebook.