Kel'el Ware Develops with Wembanyama & Olajuwon after Giannis Trade

Big men as skilled at the game of basketball as Kel'el Ware don't exactly appear out of nowhere often, but here he finds himself in Milwaukee in the wake of the era-upending deal for Giannis Antetokounmpo.

With uncertainty being the only thing certain about this roster moving forward after such a franchise-changing move, Ware suddenly has an opportunity to seize this tide-shifting moment in Milwaukee.

So, what was one of the first things Ware did? Simply get a work out in with basketball royalty.

A Day At The Office pic.twitter.com/sid4DPueKk
— Richard Felder (@felder_richard) July 24, 2026

Ware joins one former and one current great

Wemby crosses up Ware — Mar 23, 2026; Miami, Florida, USA; San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama (1) drives to the basket as Miami Heat center Kel'el Ware (7) defends during the second half at Kaseya Center. Mandatory Credit: Jim Rassol-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Ware didn't take long to get to work after news of the Antetokounmpo trade breaking.

Alongside Victor Wembanyama, Ware and Wemby got to learn up close and personal from none other than the master of The Dream Shake himself, Hakeem Olajuwon, via a photo posted to Twitter by Ware and Wembanayama's agent with CAA, Richard Felder.

Olajuwon famously works with NBA greats like Kobe Bryant, Dwight Howard, LeBron James, and even Antetokounmpo.

.@MirinFader on Hakeem's Rapid Skill Acquisition, Coachability, Mentoring

"Nobody makes it alone. He gets better so quickly because he has so many incredible mentors in his life"

Mentors like Moses Malone, Rudy T, Carroll Dawson, Guy V Lewis

Mentees like Kobe, LeBron, Giannis pic.twitter.com/Wf6xL5uIOT
— Ryan Kaminski NBA (@beyondtheRK) October 29, 2024

Working with these basketball legends shows Ware's desire to be great, and hopefully means he picked up a trick or two along the way. Recreating habits and moves from the best to ever play is a proven path to player development. Hopefully Ware learned some new footwork fundamentals, some shooting practice ideas, and maybe even a mini hook shot on the way out.

A 22 year-old seven-footer with developable handles who is legit 3pt sniper at near 39.5% 3P% on 3 3PA per game last season is a rare sight to see; the nine boards and one block per game are nice too.

Ware's defensive impact hasn't been quite as high as the versatility implies, but it's at least neutral; by EPM (Dunks and Threes) and BPM (Basketball Reference), it rates positive. His offensive impact is great, rating in the 78th percentile for Offensive EPM and the 75th percentile for Overall EPM Impact.

Milwaukee unlocking his offense to new heights, exploding his volume of shots and touches in areas of the floor he's strong at, while flanking him with more impactful defenders should allow him to explode in offensive impact while maintaining or even increasing his neutral defensive impact higher into the positive, leading to higher two-way impact overall.

I once asked Eric Spoelstra about Ware's development.

"Kel'el Ware) has great potential. He is getting better...

I just really appreciate his approach every day. He comes in every day open to the coaching and us driving him to get to a higher level...

The expectations are for us to win, and when you are a young player in that situation... there is a different level of pressure. He understands that and he is continuing to stack up good, solid days.
Eric Spoelstra

I asked Eric Spoelstra how impressed he's been by Kel'el Ware's development and how big the Heat coach could see Ware's role becoming:

"(Kel'el Ware) has great potential. He's getting better...

I just really appreciate his approach every day. He comes in every day open to the… pic.twitter.com/tFcgvO0ogH
— Ryan Kaminski NBA (@beyondtheRK) December 9, 2025

Should Ware come off the bench at first?

Turner defended by Ware — Jan 2, 2025; Miami, Florida, USA; Indiana Pacers center Myles Turner (33) drives to the basket a sMiami Heat center Kel'el Ware (7) defends during the first half at Kaseya Center. Mandatory Credit: Jim Rassol-Imagn Images | USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect

At this point in his career, heading into Year 3, it's time to throw Ware in the deep end of NBA minutes, playing time, and starter role to simply see if he sinks or swims. Ware's mobility, versatility, skill, and instincts are remarkable, especially for a player his size, standing 7'0" tall on the roster sheet.

Ware's only averaged 22 minutes per game throughout both of his first two NBA seasons, missing 18 games the first year and just 5 the second year.

While some veterans on this Milwaukee roster make higher salaries and may offer some short-term competitive benefits, the potential of Ware's game being potentially the highest of any player on the roster should make his development an utmost priority for this Bucks franchise.

The Bucks should highly consider making Ware one of their top scoring options from the get-to; get Ware touches, find Ware shots, set Ware up to succeed as a floor-stretching play-finisher.

Ware can pop out from deep, roll to the rack, crash the glass, and bring turnover-forcing defensive feel, some grab-and-go downhill handle, finesse footwork, with positional versatility.

Ideally, Milwaukee's guard prospects like Brayden Burries, Kasparas Jakucionis, and Ryan Rollins will complement Ware with their high-level decisionmaking and playmaking chops, especially operating pick-and-roll offense to set up Ware as a play-finisher at the rim and from beyond the arc.

Will one of Nate Ament, Ousmane Dieng, or Jaime Jaquez Jr. prove to be a dynamic forward fit next to Ware? Will Ware require a more traditional big man down low so he can space the floor, or could Milwaukee find success running double pick-and-roll sets like Horns and Double Drag with two bigs able to pop out between himself and Myles Turner?

New Bucks Head Coach Taylor Jenkins has a sound history of player development, such as working with Jaren Jackson Jr. in Memphis, bringing a voice to the locker room who should point Ware in the right direction while managing what's best for the team.

It's time for Ware to push his game to the limits, and Milwaukee just cleared the runway for takeoff.

Add us as a preferred source on Google