Rookie Kel’el Ware Catching Fire for Miami Heat

Few teams in the entire NBA have done more with mid-first NBA Draft picks than the Miami Heat. And it seems that sentiment will hold true with 2024’s No. 15 pick in center Kel’el Ware.
Despite a slow start to his season, mostly caused by injury, Ware is quickly heating up for a Miami team that continues to find itself among league-wide drama.
In just the second start of his short career, Ware saw another blistering performance versus the Bucks, scoring 22 points, grabbing 10 rebounds, nabbing one steal and dishing two blocks. He shot 9-for-15 overall and hit two of his seven attempted 3-pointers.
Ware was similarly impactful against both the Spurs and Trail Blazers earlier in the week, adding 25 points against San Antonio and 20 against Portland. In those two games, he added 23 total rebounds and two blocks apiece in looking like the team’s center of the future.
In his last five games, Ware’s picked up the pace overall, averaging 16.2 points, 10.8 rebounds and 1.4 blocks with 52% shooting overall and 39% from three. Those numbers would put him at or ahead of most in the ’25 rookie class, which is performing as many experts expected.
Ware’s play hasn’t yet translated into wins for the Heat, as they suffered double-digit losses in each of their last two contests. But his improved counting stats in such a short tenure in the NBA so far are cause for celebration on Miami’s end.
If Ware can continue to hone his game, he’ll quickly become a crucial part of the up-and-coming Heat core.
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