WELLCOME TO MIAMI MY SWEET GIANT.....KEL'EL WARE IS THE PICK!

[RexBoyWonder]

It's WAY to early to do this, But I'll just go ahead and say I think Ware will jump a few spots in a re-draft.

Which of these 2024 draft players would you trade him for right now?


1.Hawks draft Zaccharie Risacher

2. Wizards draft Alex Sarr

3. Rockets draft Reed Sheppard

4. Spurs draft Stephon Castle

5. Pistons draft Ron Holland II

6. Hornets draft Tidjane Salaun

7. Trail Blazers draft Donovan Clingan

8. Spurs draft Rob Dillingham

9. Grizzlies draft Zach Edey

10. Jazz draft Cody Williams

11. Bulls draft Matas Buzelis

12. Thunder draft Nikola Topic

13. Kings draft Devin Carter

14. Trail Blazers draft Bub Carrington

15. Heat draft Kel’el Ware

16. 76ers draft Jared McCain

17. Lakers draft Dalton Knecht

18. Magic draft Tristan da Silva

19. Raptors draft Ja’Kobe Walter

20. Cavaliers draft Jaylon Tyson

[RexBoyWonder]

It's WAY to early to do this, But I'll just go ahead and say I think Ware will jump a few spots in a re-draft.

Which of these 2024 draft players would you trade him for right now?


1.Hawks draft Zaccharie Risacher

2. Wizards draft Alex Sarr

3. Rockets draft Reed Sheppard

4. Spurs draft Stephon Castle

5. Pistons draft Ron Holland II

6. Hornets draft Tidjane Salaun

7. Trail Blazers draft Donovan Clingan

8. Spurs draft Rob Dillingham

9. Grizzlies draft Zach Edey

10. Jazz draft Cody Williams

11. Bulls draft Matas Buzelis

12. Thunder draft Nikola Topic

13. Kings draft Devin Carter

14. Trail Blazers draft Bub Carrington

15. Heat draft Kel’el Ware

16. 76ers draft Jared McCain

17. Lakers draft Dalton Knecht

18. Magic draft Tristan da Silva

19. Raptors draft Ja’Kobe Walter

20. Cavaliers draft Jaylon Tyson

Trying to be objective :

There's no way I'm trading him for any of the bigs : Sarr can't score at decent efficiency, Edey can't move on defense, Clingan looks fine but doesn't seem to have the offensive juice and his body type looks risky to me. Way too heavy.

[There's also no way i'm trading him for the older prospects : Da Silva seems like a nice role player with no higher upside, Same for the over hyped Dalton Knecht, Carter is having a very rough start after injury..A PG that can't shoot is scary to me.

There's a few guys that IMo might bust : Mainly Reed who looks tiny and helpless out there. Cody Williams looks beyond awful but still very young and has the tools. Tidjane Salaün is very young but doesn't have any NBA skills and not sure he becomes a starter ever.

The 3 guys that might have a case for having higher value then Ware are :

Zaccharie Risacher who plays a very important position as a 2 way big wing - and showed some signs of having potential (but shot looks bad which is crucial for him to reach his ceiling),

Jared McCain who scored on a very high unexpected level before a serious injury, but personally I really don't like his player type - a tiny guard without athleticism or elite vision. Fools gold IMO.

And the one guy that looks very promising is Stephon Castle - IMO he's an improved 3 ball away from being a star - great size, IQ, toughness, athleticism, just looks the part of a great 2 way lead guard on a winning team.


So basically right now to me - Castle is the only one i pull the trigger on without question, which is crazy considering we got Ware at #15.

[greg4012]

It's WAY to early to do this, But I'll just go ahead and say I think Ware will jump a few spots in a re-draft.

Which of these 2024 draft players would you trade him for right now?


1.Hawks draft Zaccharie Risacher

2. Wizards draft Alex Sarr

3. Rockets draft Reed Sheppard

4. Spurs draft Stephon Castle

5. Pistons draft Ron Holland II

6. Hornets draft Tidjane Salaun

7. Trail Blazers draft Donovan Clingan

8. Spurs draft Rob Dillingham

9. Grizzlies draft Zach Edey

10. Jazz draft Cody Williams

11. Bulls draft Matas Buzelis

12. Thunder draft Nikola Topic

13. Kings draft Devin Carter

14. Trail Blazers draft Bub Carrington

15. Heat draft Kel’el Ware

16. 76ers draft Jared McCain

17. Lakers draft Dalton Knecht

18. Magic draft Tristan da Silva

19. Raptors draft Ja’Kobe Walter

20. Cavaliers draft Jaylon Tyson

Trying to be objective :

There's no way I'm trading him for any of the bigs : Sarr can't score at decent efficiency, Edey can't move on defense, Clingan looks fine but doesn't seem to have the offensive juice and his body type looks risky to me. Way too heavy.

[There's also no way i'm trading him for the older prospects : Da Silva seems like a nice role player with no higher upside, Same for the over hyped Dalton Knecht, Carter is having a very rough start after injury..A PG that can't shoot is scary to me.

There's a few guys that IMo might bust : Mainly Reed who looks tiny and helpless out there. Cody Williams looks beyond awful but still very young and has the tools. Tidjane Salaün is very young but doesn't have any NBA skills and not sure he becomes a starter ever.

The 3 guys that might have a case for having higher value then Ware are :

Zaccharie Risacher who plays a very important position as a 2 way big wing - and showed some signs of having potential (but shot looks bad which is crucial for him to reach his ceiling),

Jared McCain who scored on a very high unexpected level before a serious injury, but personally I really don't like his player type - a tiny guard without athleticism or elite vision. Fools gold IMO.

And the one guy that looks very promising is Stephon Castle - IMO he's an improved 3 ball away from being a star - great size, IQ, toughness, athleticism, just looks the part of a great 2 way lead guard on a winning team.


So basically right now to me - Castle is the only one i pull the trigger on without question, which is crazy considering we got Ware at #15.

Pretty much agree with all of this, except to me it's questionable, at least, between Castle and Ware.

THe fact that Ware's showing consistency early, while being young, and being a guy who's main selling point was how high his upside could be due to his tools really has me trending towards unreasonable expectations lol.

I'm sure there will be bumps in the road, but man it's encouraging right now.

[dolphinatik]

8th or 9th in redraft mcain Holland edey Carter castle still go before him prob Whitmore too.

[3ammy3uck3ts]

8th or 9th in redraft mcain Holland edey Carter castle still go before him prob Whitmore too.

[greg4012]

First start. LFG

No turning back Kel'el--own that spot.

[Sign5]

^and he sure did. Once again the only bright spot in the game.

[Pokuokic]

I don't think he makes it past the Grizz him and JJJ at both ends would be insane, Jay Huff does similar stuff skills wise and was a nobody imagine what they could have done with Wares upside,

Whoever said Whitmore he was in the Jamie Jaquez draft

[greg4012]

Read on Twitter

All 3 of em!

[greg4012]

Read on Twitter

[greg4012]

Watch on YouTube

Good Ware breakdown. Mostly focused on defense. Talks offense about 13 min in.

Plenty of growth to be had and the runway is clear.

[RexBoyWonder]

Watch on YouTube

[Wiltside]

You might’ve been right on this one Rex

Tbf my biggest issue was Spo’s willingness to play him and Bam together. Now that it’s no longer an issue, the pick makes perfect sense.

For the record I was team McCain and atleast I was also right on that

[RexBoyWonder]

Ware last 13 games (decent sample size) :

14 PPG, 7.3 boards, 1.5 blocks on elite efficiency. in 25 minutes per game.

Last 5 games (small sample but decent opponents) :

18.6 PPG, 10 boards, 1.8 blocks in nearly 35 minutes per game.


I like where this is headed.

[IceColdCubano]

I wouldn't declare him the best Pick this draft just yet but he is certainly Top 3 Minimum right now. Lets see him close out the year in spectacular fashion, and perhaps even winning ROY.

[greg4012]

Read on Twitter

[greg4012]

Notable: "Unlike most of the NBA’s other awards, there is no minimum for games played to earn Kia Rookie of the Year acclaim."

https://www.nba.com/news/kia-rookie-ladder-december-24-2024-edition

[greg4012]

4. Kel’el Ware, Miami Heat

Season stats: 8.6 ppg, 6.2 rpg, 1 bpg
Last Ladder: No. 5
Draft pick: No. 15

His counting stats have moved him up the rungs (9.6 ppg, 9.6 rpg, 1.2 bpg since the last Ladder). But a nice breakdown of Ware’s 15 starts revealed some defensive flaws, including this: Miami’s defensive rating (117.9) when Ware is on the floor without Bam Adebayo would rank 27th of 30. Better news: When both are out there, it’s 106.1, which would rank second.

https://www.nba.com/news/kia-rookie-ladder-february-26-2025-edition

[greg4012]

https://allucanheat.com/10-stats-heat-rookie-kel-el-ware-first-15-games-starter

Checking in on Kel’el Ware now that the Miami Heat rookie has started the last 15 games. It’s a decent sample size from which to draw some statistical data.

Let’s jump in with 10 stats to describe Ware’s first 15 games as a starter.

>Opponents are shooting 2.5% better than their average within 6 feet of the basket when Kel’el Ware is the closest defender, according to NBA.com’s database. Opponents are shooting 0.5% better within 10 feet.

>Before you ask, those marks haven’t been better since Ware entered the starting lineup. Opponents are shooting 4.4% better than their average within 6 feet and 2.1% better than their average within 10 feet of the basket when Ware is the closest defender in the 15 games since coach Erik Spoelstra turned to a two-big lineup.

>That two-big lineup is working, with the Heat posting a defensive rating of 106.1 when Bam Adebayo and Ware share the court. That would rank second in the NBA, behind only the Oklahoma City Thunder.

>But Ware’s defensive struggles – common for a rookie center – are highlighted when Adebayo goes to the bench. The Heat have a DRTG of 117.9 when Ware is on the court without Adebayo, a mark that would rank 27th in the league this season.

>As much as Adebayo supports Ware, Ware also supports Adebayo. The Heat’s DRTG slips to 112.4 (which would rank a ho-hum 12th) in the minutes when Adebayo is on the court without Ware.

>It’s a different story on offense, where the Heat are averaging just 110.1 points per 100 possessions with Ware and Adebayo on the court – a mark just below their season rating of 112.1.

>Ware ranks in the 71st percentile as a pick-and-roll roll man and averages 1.20 points per possession when finishing the pick-and-roll, according to Synergy data. Those are good marks, but you’d like to see the Heat find him for more than 1.8 attempts per game.

>Ware is also shooting 70.3% on 1.6 cuts per game, per Synergy, which can be logged in similar situations to pick-and-rolls.
Ware needs to be more physical on the offensive glass. He’s averaging 1 putback attempt per game and converting those bunnies at a 45% clip, ranking in just the 20th percentile.

>Among 7-footers, Ware ranks 14th in 3-point attempts per game. He is shooting 32.9% on 1.9 3-point attempts per game, marks matched by only Victor Wembanyama, Lauri Markkanen, Kristaps Porzingis, Brook Lopez, Karl-Anthony Towns, Sant Aldama, Quentin Post, Chet Holmgren and Jay Huff.

[wadenation305]

https://allucanheat.com/10-stats-heat-rookie-kel-el-ware-first-15-games-starter

Checking in on Kel’el Ware now that the Miami Heat rookie has started the last 15 games. It’s a decent sample size from which to draw some statistical data.

Let’s jump in with 10 stats to describe Ware’s first 15 games as a starter.

>Opponents are shooting 2.5% better than their average within 6 feet of the basket when Kel’el Ware is the closest defender, according to NBA.com’s database. Opponents are shooting 0.5% better within 10 feet.

>Before you ask, those marks haven’t been better since Ware entered the starting lineup. Opponents are shooting 4.4% better than their average within 6 feet and 2.1% better than their average within 10 feet of the basket when Ware is the closest defender in the 15 games since coach Erik Spoelstra turned to a two-big lineup.

>That two-big lineup is working, with the Heat posting a defensive rating of 106.1 when Bam Adebayo and Ware share the court. That would rank second in the NBA, behind only the Oklahoma City Thunder.

>But Ware’s defensive struggles – common for a rookie center – are highlighted when Adebayo goes to the bench. The Heat have a DRTG of 117.9 when Ware is on the court without Adebayo, a mark that would rank 27th in the league this season.

>As much as Adebayo supports Ware, Ware also supports Adebayo. The Heat’s DRTG slips to 112.4 (which would rank a ho-hum 12th) in the minutes when Adebayo is on the court without Ware.

>It’s a different story on offense, where the Heat are averaging just 110.1 points per 100 possessions with Ware and Adebayo on the court – a mark just below their season rating of 112.1.

>Ware ranks in the 71st percentile as a pick-and-roll roll man and averages 1.20 points per possession when finishing the pick-and-roll, according to Synergy data. Those are good marks, but you’d like to see the Heat find him for more than 1.8 attempts per game.

>Ware is also shooting 70.3% on 1.6 cuts per game, per Synergy, which can be logged in similar situations to pick-and-rolls.
Ware needs to be more physical on the offensive glass. He’s averaging 1 putback attempt per game and converting those bunnies at a 45% clip, ranking in just the 20th percentile.

>Among 7-footers, Ware ranks 14th in 3-point attempts per game. He is shooting 32.9% on 1.9 3-point attempts per game, marks matched by only Victor Wembanyama, Lauri Markkanen, Kristaps Porzingis, Brook Lopez, Karl-Anthony Towns, Sant Aldama, Quentin Post, Chet Holmgren and Jay Huff.

Bigs take the longest to develop. Right now being a brand new baby deer out there, he is still being a constant double-double threat. No one on this team except Herro can find this guy from time to time on lobs. I think if we had a halfway decent PG Ware would have more offensive impact, but we just do not have the personnel with those skills and inclination. He has weaknesses like any other rookie, but at least the weaknesses that I see are all fixable and workable. He is not someone that has to work at 110% effort just to make up for the overwhelming lack of talent. Which has been a common theme here for the past 5-7 years. He absolutely has EVERY tool necessary to be a force in the league.

But to me the most important thing is what is beyond the tools he posses. It's the character. If you do not watch him closely it is very easy to be fooled into thinking he and Winslow had similar characters. But they are night and day totally different. I never really believed in Winslow, His character was way too quiet, passive, no intensity, no passion that could be observed. I can only recall one time I saw passion coming out of Winslow. While Ware, looks reserved. If you look pay attention any time he jams it on anyone, he's actually holding himself back from screaming at the guys face and flexing on him. You can see and feel the intensity and passion for what he is doing boiling underneath the surface. It was the same with Bam, and Herro. Herro it took a bit to get to where it was justified but he did it.

Out of Herro, Bam, Ware. In my opinion, Ware has the best tools from a starting base out of the 3. Our development staff is known to squeeze water from a rock. This guy is a soaking wet sponge to them. I feel good about our chances of getting something big out of him. Put Bam in Ware's body, with his shooting touch. We're talking about top 10 player in the league.

Is it guaranteed? No, not much is in this world. But I like the starting base, plus the character makes me believe that Ware will put in the work and effort required to reach his potential.