Ware supplied 13 points (5-9 FG, 1-3 3Pt, 2-4 FT), five rebounds, one assist, four blocks and two steals across 17 minutes in Tuesday's 111-108 preseason loss to the Hornets.
Ware led the Heat bench in scoring and was responsible for four of the team's 11 blocks. The rookie first-round pick was named to the NBA 2K25 All-Summer League First Team after averaging 18.0 points, 8.3 rebounds, 1.5 blocks, 1.0 assists and 1.0 steals across 26.5 minutes per game. Ware should operate as the primary backup to starting center Bam Adebayo during the 2024-25 regular season, though with the latter more willing to shoot from beyond the arc, the duo could share the floor at times.
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Heat's Kel'el Ware: Cruises to double-double
Rotowire
Ware tallied 21 points (8-10 FG, 0-1 3Pt, 5-6 FT), 10 rebounds and one block over 32 minutes during Monday's Summer League Championship Game against the Grizzlies.
Ware, who was named to the NBA 2K25 All-Summer League First Team earlier in the day, put together yet another strong performance to finish out Summer League play. He secured a double-double with his strong rebounding effort and scored efficiently, knocking down 80.0 percent of his tries from the field in an overtime thriller.
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Heat's Kel'el Ware: Drops 17 points
Rotowire
Ware produced 17 points (7-9 FG, 1-2 3Pt, 2-4 FT), three rebounds, three assists and three blocks in 25 minutes during Saturday's 119-114 Summer League win over Boston.
Ware came into this outing with a ton of hype after averaging 19.0 points, 8.5 rebounds and 3.0 blocks per game in his previous two Summer League outings. His path to fantasy value is obstructed by the presence of Bam Adebayo, but Ware has the potential to run away with the backup center role.
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Heat's Kel'el Ware: Shines in Summer League
Rotowire
Ware recorded 26 points (12-21 FG, 2-5 FT, 0-2 3Pt), 11 rebounds, three assists and a block in 29 minutes during Sunday's 102-86 win over the Kings in the California Classic Summer League.
Ware was dominant for the Heat's Summer League team Sunday, recording game-high marks in points and rebounds. The 15th overall pick has averaged 19.0 points and 8.5 rebounds per game across his first two Summer League outings, showing clear flashes of upside.
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Heat's Kel'el Ware: Drafted by Heat at No. 15
Rotowire
Ware was selected by the Heat with the No. 15 overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft.
As a sophomore last year in Indiana, Ware earned spots on the All-Big Ten Second Team (media) and the All-Big Ten Defensive Team. The 7-footer showed upside as a rim-protecting stretch five, blocking 1.9 shots and making 0.6 threes at 42.5 percent in 32.2 minutes per game. He's also a phenomenal athlete capable of highlight-reel dunks, giving him intriguing offensive upside in a league so reliant on pick-and-roll and pick-and-pop offense. The reason Ware is being drafted in the middle of the first round rather than higher is largely due to mixed effort and decision-making, not to mention a lack of desire to play with physicality. In terms of his immediate role, Ware could slot in as Bam Adebayo's backup, though there's potential for the two to share the floor.
