2024 Prospect Spotlight: Ke'lel Ware

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From a size/skill perspective, this is the guy. It's the focus/intensity that prevents him from jumping into the lottery. All that said, he should greatly outplay his draft position. he'd pair well with Trae or Dejounte. Could backup or complement Okongwu.

Most importantly -- he's the ideal archetype to share the frontcourt next to Jalen Johnson.

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How high do we take him, is the real question. He night not fall all the way to that Sacramento Pick:

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Strong at rim finisher.
Above average shot blocker.
Above average rebounder.
Strong floor spacer (can shoot from the corners well.)
Can (inconsistently) create his own shot in the post or by putting the ball on the floor.

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Kel'el Ware | Indiana

7'0" | 210 lb | Center | 20 years old | Sophomore

A vertical interior presence with floor-spacing upside.

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Shades of: Myles Turner

PLUSES

• A dunk contest–worthy athlete with phenomenal size and length. He’s an eager shot blocker with excellent timing, and he has good mobility and makes quick second leaps.
  
• Good hands catching tough passes around the rim with the coordination to pivot toward the basket and finish from difficult angles.
  
• Shoots an easy ball from 3. He hops into his shot and cleanly transitions into his high, unblockable release. His percentages need to catch up, but his touch is a positive indicator. He shoots a high percentage on hook shots, floaters, and layups.
  
• His combination of skills gives him great pick-and-roll potential. His high school team ran plays off the opening tip in which a player would screen for him as he’d sprint toward the basket to catch a lob.

MINUSES

• Effort and focus have wavered going back to high school. He’ll disappear for an entire half. His desire to box out and play with physicality is a notable concern, and he’s been bullied by players of a comparable size to him.
  
• When catching the ball around the rim, he sometimes brings it down to load up before elevating instead of just launching.
  
• Sloppy decision-maker who doesn’t handle pressure well when posting up. He telegraphs passes and often dribbles into trouble.
  
• His size suggests he could have value as a screener, except he’s not good at setting picks. He makes little contact. And since he’s lean, NBA defenses will often switch against him, but he lacks the moves on the post to take advantage.

The Ringer

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Issues of concern:

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Spoiler:

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