Kel’el Ware, Indiana’s leading scorer in the 2023-24 season, is trending toward NBA all-rookie first-team honors.
The 20-year-old, the No. 15 pick in last June’s NBA draft, has quickly established himself in the frontcourt rotation for the Miami Heat.
Ware transferred to Indiana following an underwhelming freshman season at Oregon and averaged 15.9 points, 9.9 rebounds and 1.9 blocked shots for the Hoosiers in the 2023-24 season. He was named second-team All-Big Ten and then departed Bloomington for the NBA.
After starting his pro career on the fringe of the Heat’s rotation, Ware has blossomed into one of the league’s top newcomers. Ware was named the NBA eastern conference rookie of the month in February.
In 61 games – 33 starts – Ware is averaging 9.2 points, 7.4 rebounds and 1.1 blocked shots in 22.1 minutes per game. He’s shooting 55.4 percent from the field. Miami is 10th in the Eastern Conference standings and will compete in the NBA play-in tournament that runs April 15-18.
In Monday’s 117-105 win against Philadelphia, Ware tallied 19 points and 17 rebounds in 35 minutes. He was 8-for-16 from the floor and 3-for-4 from the free-throw line.
From Jan. 19 through Jan. 23, Ware posted three straight games with 20 or more points, including a season-high 25 points against San Antonio. Ware has four games of 20 or more points this season and has scored in double figures 23 times.
The Arkansas native also has 14 double-doubles and has grabbed 10 or more rebounds on 22 occasions.
According to the latest rookie ladder rankings on NBA.com, Ware is considered the fourth-best rookie in the league behind San Antonio’s Stephon Castle, Atlanta’s Zaccharie Risacher and Washington’s Alex Sarr. All three were lottery picks in the 2024 NBA draft.
Category: Former Hoosiers
Filed to: Kel’el Ware
