The 2024 NBA Draft is less than one month away and once again, Indiana basketball is pretty much guaranteed to have presence in former Hoosiers center, Kel’el Ware. In his lone season with Indiana basketball, Ware averaged 15.9 points, 9.9 rebounds, 1.9 blocks, 1.5 assists and shot 56.8 percent from the field on the season which lead him to an All-Big Ten Second Team selection.
Ware has seen his NBA draft projections bounce pretty much anywhere on the draft boards anywhere from lottery to late first round. It is a pretty much a ‘lock’ that Ware is going to be first round selection after the sophomore season he put together for Indiana basketball plus the way he dominated the draft combine setting the record of finishing with the highest score of any center in the database of the NBA combine and earned a perfect score of 100.0. The record was previously held by Damian Jones. Ware also finished with a raw score of 81.1.
He has certainly earned the opportunity to hear his name called in the first round however, where exactly will the 7-foot, versatile big man land? In the latest 2024 NBA Mock Draft by Bleacher Report’s Johnathan Wasserman, he has Ware ending up at the No. 17 spot joining one of the more prestigious NBA organizations, the Los Angeles Lakers and possibly teaming up with a former Indiana basketball guard.
“Kel’el Ware measured well at the NBA combine, even showing a standing reach that was 2.5 inches longer than that of potential No. 1 overall pick Alex Sarr,” Wasserman wrote. “He was also down 12 pounds from Indiana’s listing. For Ware to maximize his draft stock, he’ll have to convince teams to buy into his three-point range.”
“He still has a very high skill level for a center who’s above average athletically and nearly 7’0″ in socks. And the big increase in scoring production helped validate the effectiveness of his tools, movement and shotmaking.”
Watch: Interview, highlights from Indiana basketball center Kel’el Ware during Portland Trail Blazers workout
Who is the former Indiana basketball guard that Ware could possibly team up with in LA? Well Jalen Hood-Schifino, of course, who ironically was drafted at the exact same No. 17 spot in the 2023 NBA Draft. Like Ware, after an outstanding one season playing under Mike Woodson, Hood-Schifino opted to go to the NBA.
Hood-Schifino appeared in just 21 games for the Lakers and averaged 1.6 points, 0.6 rebounds, and 0.4 assists per game.
It was not entirely surprising to see Hood-Schifino had the rookie season that he had with the Lakers in ‘win-now’ mode plus the injuries that he fought throughout the year. When he was healthy, he often played for the Lakers G-League squad. Hood-Schifino played 15 games for the South Bay Lakers and averaged 22.0 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 5.5 assists per game. The most exciting part of his performance for Lakers fans was his shooting splits. He shot 47.3% from the field and 43.2% from beyond the arc, both improvements from his percentages with Indiana basketball.
If healthy, Ware will likely have a bit more of a role in his rookie season than what Hood-Schifino had with the Lakers due to his skillset and size. It will be interesting to see if Hood-Schifino will have a bit more of a role in his second season with the Lakers.
Regardless, if Ware is indeed selected by LA, you would have Mike Woodson’s two highest NBA draft picks on the same squad for the time being.
“I think he did (changed the narrative) — had a really nice season and answered a lot of questions coming from his Oregon days,” an NBA scout told HoosierIllustrated.com. “It was really nice to see him come out and play, produce and do so at a high level consistently.
“He figured out how to be on the court and stay consistent, not just with the flashy plays but doing all the little things to help the team win,” said the NBA scout. “ … I thought he did a nice job playing the game and doing the right things more often.”
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