Indiana’s Kel’el Ware emerging as a potential star for the Miami Heat

The former Hoosier and NBA rookie has been on a tear lately in the NBA.

When Kel’el Ware entered the transfer portal in the spring of 2023, he became one of its most highly sought-after prospects.

Which, of course he was. Ware was one of the top recruits in his high school class and looked primed to not only find near-immediate success, but only last one year at the college level before heading off to the NBA.

He ended up signing with Oregon where that just didn’t happen. Ware looked good in the opening weeks of the Ducks’ season, but his playing time waned as the months wore on until he was a minor factor on the roster.

When he entered the portal, he did so with one common refrain following him: motor concerns.

Ware was ranked so highly because he has all the talent you could ask for. With that kind of height, length, athleticism and even shooting ability from deep, he was pretty much made for the modern NBA, which has seen a boom of versatile big men taking over the league in recent years.

Those concerns followed him to Indiana where the promise of proving that narrative wrong while working with a former NBA head coach waited. He entered the 2023-24 season with similar expectations of spending one year with his school before entering the NBA.

Mike Woodson had just spent two years with Trayce Jackson-Davis, who got to the NBA himself after developing further as a passer and defender. It was easy to see why that was attractive to a guy like Ware

Indiana’s overall season was a disappointment, but Ware’s wasn’t.

Those same motor concerns followed him at times, but Ware was on the floor for just about every possible minute for a few reasons. For one, he had to be in a less than reliable rotation at center. On the other hand, Ware was Indiana’s best player by some distance.

His length and size was enough to deter drives to the rim on its own and his offensive arsenal was impressive. He was a rim runner in transition, a lob threat in the pick and roll and a shooting threat from deep.

When Ware came to Indiana, he’d typically respond to physicality under the rim with a turnaround fadeaway jumper rather than banging down low for a better look in the paint. As the season went on, he became more willing to absorb that contact and deal out some hits himself.

There were times when Ware didn’t come out of the game despite visible discomfort and a limp. He did his fair share in putting those motor concerns to bed.

And if that wasn’t enough, he was drafted by an NBA organization that prides itself on effort and hard work more than any other in the Miami Heat. Pat Riley, one of the greatest basketball minds the game has ever seen, clearly saw enough from Ware to believe he’d add something to the group.

It took him time, as it does for the vast majority of rookies, but now the Heat are looking at an absolute Ware tear.

Ware has played over 30 minutes in each of the Heat’s past three games. In those three contests he has scored 25, 20 and 22 points while pulling down 8, 15 and 10 rebounds. In that time he’s climbed the NBA’s rookie ladder while his rookie of the year odds continue shortening.

Ware coming into his own at the next level would be good for a lot of reasons. For one, it’d help re-establish Indiana’s track record of developing talent for the NBA level. It’d also be a great way for Ware’s story to go as a guy who faced plenty of doubt in the past few years.

His career is one to watch whether you’re an Indiana fan or just an overall fan of the NBA.