Kel'el Ware

Ware began playing basketball in the third grade in Sherwood, Arkansas. He went on to play high school basketball at North Little Rock High School where he helped lead his team to back-to-back championships as a junior and senior. In 2022, Ware competed in the Jordan Brand Classic, was named a McDonald's High School All-American and was a Naismith National High School Boys Basketball All-America honorable mention. That same year, he won a gold medal at the FIBA U18 Americas Championship in Tijuana, Mexico and was a member of the 2022 USA Nike Hoop Summit Team. Ware was a consensus five-star recruit and committed to Oregon. After a relatively quiet freshman campaign, he transferred to Indiana, where he enjoyed a breakout campaign. In 2023-24, Ware averaged 15.9 points, 9.9 rebounds, 1.9 blocks and 1.5 assists in 32.1 minutes across 30 appearances, all of which were starts. The 7-foot big man also displayed his outside shooting potential, converting 42.5% of his 1.3 three-point attempts per contest. For his efforts, Ware was named Second-Team All-Big Ten by the media and got a spot on the Big Ten All-Defensive Team. Ware possesses a highly-coveted skill set. He can stretch the floor on offense while protecting the rim on defense. The big man has an array of post moves at his disposal and can find open teammates when facing a double team. In the pick-and-roll, Ware can pop out to three, be a capable passer in the short roll or finish lobs. Defensively, Ware is able to utilize his length and 7-foot frame to stay vertical and erase shots at the rim. Ware's skill set is comparable to Myles Turner and Mo Bamba when considering their abilities to stretch the floor on offense and provide elite rim protection on defense. While Ware's outside shot will ultimately determine how high his ceiling is, he has already shown he can be a lob threat and short-roll passer in the pick-and-roll. Combined with his shot-blocking capability, Ware has the potential to be a starting big man in the NBA.