Fresh off of NBA Summer League Championship, Kel’el Ware brining ‘confidence’ back to Miami

Kel’el Ware made his mark in the NBA Summer League en route to helping lead the Miami Heat to a Championship. The 7-footer was exceptional all summer on both ends of the floor — leading to a confidence booster as he heads back to Miami and has three months until he finds himself back on the court for preseason basketball.

Ware averaged 18.0 points, 8.3 rebounds and 1.5 blocks per game and was named to the All-Summer League First Team.

“Each game I want to go in and prove more and more,” Ware said in the middle of Summer League play. “So I feel like I am doing that.”

He had four 20-point games, including 21 points and 10 rebounds in the Championship game.

“His motor’s been amazing,” Former Heat forward and current VP of Basketball Development Udonis Haslem said. “The first thing I said was I love the rebounds. Bring that motor. Bring that activity. Bring that competitive nature.”

Despite his strong play, he was tested. Ware was challenged daily by the Heat staff.

“We challenge him daily and he loves the challenge to get as many rebounds as possible,” Heat Summer League coach Dan Bisaccio said about Ware. “We said ‘you can’t get anything less than 10 [rebounds]. We need you going after those. We need you cleaning the boards. And we need you protecting the rim.’ That’s something that he’s really taken that challenge and he’s running with it. It’s just something that he’s embraced daily and we’re going to continue to challenge him.

“I told him we’re going to continue to challenge him until he retires from basketball.”

Kel’el Ware among the top rookie standouts during Summer League play

The 15th overall selection by the Heat has received a lot of praise from scouts, coaches, players and analysts. He showcased his ability to be a force in the paint on both ends of the floor. Despite entering the NBA with question marks around his motor and effort level, Ware’s play should put most, if not all, of those doubts to rest.

ESPN insider Kevin Pelton listed Ware as one of three rookies to claim the top spot of ‘Best Rookies’. Jeremy Woo, another ESPN insider, spoke about Ware being his biggest surprise of the summer.

“Miami Heat’s Kel’el Ware is turning a corner — he was productive, looked extremely comfortable in Las Vegas and has landed in an excellent developmental spot with the Heat,” Woo wrote. “Reputed for his inconsistent motor outweighing his considerable coordination and touch around the basket, the game is coming easily to Ware right now. He has more space to operate and for guards finding him for lobs. I was initially unsure about the fit when Miami took him 15th in the draft, but his trajectory is pointing in the right direction.”

The Athletics’ John Hollinger went beyond just the rookie discussion. He had even higher praise for Ware.

‘”Kel’el Ware was the best rookie big man in Vegas,” Hollinger added. “In an underwhelming, he was probably the best big man period.”

It’s now evident that Ware will not only be someone who will receive minutes for the Heat, but he’ll likely have a role to begin the season. With Bam Adebayo, Kevin Love and Nikola Jovic, Ware will likely be the fourth ‘big’ for the Heat. But, he also has a skillset much different than the others — and one that is relatively versatile with his ability to defend the rim on the other end of the floor — something the Heat don’t have.

“Just having more confidence in myself to go out there and play basketball the way I’ve always been playing and just going out there and competing,” Ware said.

SEE ALSO: What these 5 IU basketball players need to improve in order to be on 2025 NBA Draft boards

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