There is no doubt that the Miami Heat added immense size with the selection of Indiana University's Kel'el Ware with the 15th overall pick in the first round of the NBA Draft. Heat Vice President of Basketball Operations and Assistant General Manager Adam Simon talked after Wednesday's event where he spoke highly of Ware calling him a “three and D (defensive) center.”
“Kel'el [Ware] is a three and D center. It is not easy to find seven 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,” Simon said. “For us, that was very appealing. He's gonna give us versatility on both ends. And I think his skill set fits us. The things he does well are going to be things that coach Spo is going to be able to use, I think it's a great fit. He's got to be able to block shots, defend the rim, shoot threes, he's got a great touch in the post. I think there's a lot of his skill set will be great to play with Bam and and as well as when Bam is off the court.”
Simon says the Heat is the “perfect place” for Ware
What really impressed the Heat and makes him a great fit alongside Adebayo is his athleticism despite Ware standing at seven-feet tall. Simon said to ClutchPoints that Miami is the “perfect place” for Ware to show off his skills to the rest of the association.
“Yeah, a lot of good moments of him getting out, getting up in the court, getting out on the perimeter, contesting three point shots, being a lob threat, moving his feet,” Simon said of Ware. “I think all those things are there and so he is so excited to be here. He wanted to be here. He was really fired up speaking to him after the draft. I think this is a perfect place for him. And I think it's a great match to be able for Kel'el to maximize his skill set.”
Ware a threat from deep?
Another skill that Ware has that is overlooked is his ability to shoot from three-point range which is no doubt an aspect Miami will work out with him. The 20-year old shot 42.5 percent from beyond the arch along with averaging 15.9 points, 9.9 rebounds, and a whopping 1.9 blocks per game while shooting 58.6 percent from the field.
“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 was 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 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, definitely a plus.”
The Heat are looking to improve after a 46-36 record which put them at the eighth seed and were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs by the Boston Celtics. They will now focus on the second round Thursday as they have the 43rd overall pick.
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