Skillset of Kel’el Ware ‘opens it up’ for Heat and front court running mate Bam Adebayo — ‘We want him to be special’

Kel’el Ware has described his destination in the NBA with the Miami Heat as the ‘perfect fit’. He hasn’t been shy about why — wanting to be pushed ‘past my limits’. Coming from a player who has had his motor and love for the game questioned almost daily for the last two years, Ware has said everything you want from a top draft pick heading into a new phase of his playing career.

While he’s mainly silenced the critics, the next question becomes how he’ll fit alongside one of the backbones of the Heat culture and system, Bam Adebayo. For the Heat organization, there isn’t a ‘how will it work’ it’s more about ‘look at how many ways it can work’.

“Kel’el is a three and D center. It is not easy to find 7-footers that can play out on the perimeter offensively and also be able to defend with his ability to shot block and defend the post,” Heat GM Adam Simon said on draft night. “For us, that was very appealing.

“He’s going to give us versatility on both ends. I think his skillset fits us, the things he does well are the things coach Spo is going to be able to use. I think it’s a great fit. He’s got — the ability to block shots, defend the rim, shoot 3s. He’s got a great touch in the post. There’s a lot of — his skillset will be great to play with Bam and as well as when Bam is off the court.”

That skillset was on full display at Indiana. He had averages of 15.9 points, 9.9 rebounds and 1.9 blocks per game in 32.2 minutes per game. Those were vastly improved from his freshman season at Oregon where he averaged 6.6 points, 4.1 rebounds and 1.3 blocks in 15.8 minutes per game.

Kel’el Ware has three-point shot to open floor up for Bam Adebayo

Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports

He also saw his three-point percentage rise from 27.3 percent to 42.5 percent in one season. That is a part of his skillset that all NBA teams found intriguing — the combination of 7-feet tall with his shooting stroke.

“He’s a willing shooter. And I think you look at his stroke. Very fluid, very easy,” Simon said. “There are opportunities where he used ball fakes to get defenders off him and then pull it and take a three. How he played there under Coach Woodson in Indiana, a lot of it was in the post, a lot of it was lob threat action. So you know, he didn’t have a lot of attempts (only) 40. But he’s a threat and the idea of being able to put them in position, space the court. I think we feel like his shot is good now, obviously we’re going to work on it with him to get even better. But just being comfortable shooting threes at this point is definitely a plus.”

“I feel like I’ll be able to fit well in with the Heat, you know, just being at that five position to help Bam out with him, you know, potentially going to the four and just being able to space the floor out,” Ware said last week. “Everything would be much easier for the whole team especially moving fast pace up and down the court so I feel like I’m able to bring a lot to the team.”

That shooting ability and potential is part of why the Heat were so high on Kel’el Ware. His ability to stretch the floor is a skillset that was missing for the Heat at the center position. While the Heat have Kevin Love and Nikola Jović, neither have the overall offensive skillset that Ware has and neither are the typical NBA center in today’s game.

And Bam Adebayo notices that.

“It definitely opens it up to where your mind can go to place to where in the past it couldn’t,” Adebayo said on the Tobin & Leroy Show. “Being able to expand and grow as a player.”

“I have no doubt that the kid is going to get better here,” Adebayo said of Ware on Thursday. “He’s going into a situation where we want him to be special. You see his athletic ability, and we want him to take advantage of that.”

Before Kel’el Ware gets on the court though, it’s a critical summer to continue to develop his body for an entire 82-game season against professionals who have been in the league for much longer than Ware.

While he has the length to compete on both ends of the floor, adding more weight and muscle is the priority.

“He’s got to get a little more weight on him, I think, for the NBA and the day-to-day grind that they have,” IU head coach Mike Woodson said. “But his skill set is there. He can make threes, but he’s got to get better and consistent with doing that. But I think the sky is the limit. The way Spo coaches and how he pushes guys to play at a high level, that’s what he needs. He couldn’t have picked a better organization than Miami.”

Ware begins play next week at the Las Vegas Summer League where he’ll be in action for the first time in a Heat uniform.

SEE ALSO: ‘It’s a great match’: Kel’el Ware finds new home with Miami Heat — a place that will ‘push me past my limits’

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