Kel’el Ware’s NBA Rookie of the Year odds soar as impact increases for Miami Heat

When Kel’el Ware was drafted 15th by the Miami Heat last June, it wasn’t certain when the Indiana product would break into Miami’s rotation — after all, Heat coach Erik Spoelstra focuses more on the game ahead than he presumes anything about the big picture.

Concentrating on a given possession is how Spoelstra has remained dialed in enough to routinely churn out winning seasons, deep playoff runs and a Hall of Fame resume.

In Ware’s case, though, many onlookers have simply been curious and excited about the 7-footer’s NBA potential, even as he took some time to find his stride in the pro ranks. But Ware’s growing presence in Miami’s lineup has offered promising flashes of the future while raising the team’s ceiling amid an up-and-down season. The rest of the NBA world is now taking notice of Miami’s prized rookie, who was sent down to the G League last month to get more playing time and shorten his learning curve for the pro level.

Ware has become the favorite to win this season’s Rookie of the Year, according to Bovada. If he does take home the honor, the 20-year-old would be the first Heat player to win the award. Kendrick Nunn (second in 2019), Dwyane Wade (third in 2003-04) and Caron Butler (third in 2002-03) have the highest voting finishes in franchise history.

Kel’el Ware is the new favorite to win rookie of the year, per @BovadaOfficial

Kel’el Ware +190
Stephon Castle +260
Alex Sarr +350
Jaylen Wells +400
Zach Edey +1400
Isaiah Collier +5000
Yves Missi +5000
Zaccharie Risacher +6000
Dalton Knecht +10000
Ryan Dunn +10000
Bub… pic.twitter.com/SDilLlzEMm

— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) January 24, 2025

“I know that Kel’el generates a lot of opinions out there — let us do our job,” Spoelstra told reporters on Jan. 19. “Let him do what he’s been doing. The initial thing was to get him comfortable, get him in a role where he could impact the game, and the second unit has been coming along. It’s been one of our bright spots in the last several weeks, and he’s been getting really comfortable in that role. And what he’s done with his play and ability to impact the game is earn more. That’s what you want to see. That’s what you want all players to do: earn more, make us watch you, make us have to play you, make us have to think about not playing you and make us continue to figure out other things and just keep you on the court. That’s what he’s doing right now.”

Nobody around the Heat has been shy about Ware’s upside, but the payoff has been exciting nonetheless.

His shot-blocking has made it frightening for aspiring shooters to so much as toe a line into the paint, let alone try scoring against his 7-foot-4 wingspan. That credible reason to induce hesitation is why teammate Bam Adebayo enjoys playing alongside Ware, as the latter’s presence allows Adebayo to blitz pick-and-rolls and roam the perimeter for defensive stops. While Adebayo has established himself as arguably the most versatile defender in the NBA, this allows him to essentially play free safety on defense. In the last week, according to NBA.com, the Heat are allowing only 91.6 points per possession in the 58 minutes Ware and Adebayo have shared the court, which would easily make for the league’s best defensive rating over an entire season. Opponents are shooting just 38.1 percent against Miami’s new defensive duo in that span.

Although Miami endured a 125-96 road loss to the Milwaukee Bucks last Thursday, there were more promising flashes of Ware and Adebayo playing alongside one another. In that game’s early stages, when the Heat held a 15-3 lead during the first quarter, Ware focused on Damian Lillard as Lillard came off a double-screen before driving to the lane. Ware showed his quick feet and kept up with Lillard, who attempted a layup after Adebayo swatted at the ball during the drive attempt before collecting the rebound.

For much of the season, Ware has spent time in the gym to get his weight up and better position himself against stronger NBA veterans. In the second period of that Milwaukee loss, Bucks center Brook Lopez sealed off Ware for positioning before taking the entry pass and attacking the rim, but Ware used his quickness and length to recover and block Lopez’s layup attempt. Notice Adebayo sealing off Giannis Antetokounmpo away from the ball, which Adebayo hopes becomes commonplace as he and Ware play together more.

“I get back to switching a little bit, guarding my yard — not being in a drop zone all year,” he said. “It’s a good switch-up for us.”

On offense, Ware has already shown promise as a credible floor-spacer because of his shooting touch; he ranks second among Heat players in 3-point shooting percentage since New Year’s Day (41 percent, behind only Jaime Jaquez Jr.’s 44 percent).

But before Ware is placed in any 3-point shooting contests, Miami will embrace his penchant for getting easy shots in the paint. Since Jan. 1, he’s shooting 72.7 percent on shots from within 5 feet of the rim, has finished 17 of 19 alley-oop attempts and flushed 34 total dunks. During Miami’s 106-97 win over the Brooklyn Nets on Saturday, Ware wasn’t efficient on offense (3-of-11 shooting, no free-throw attempts), but he still warranted attention as teammates attacked the paint.

Here, Jaquez drove the lane for a second-quarter drive as Nets center Nic Claxton stepped up to contest what would’ve been an attempted floater … until Jaquez simply lobbed the ball for Ware to slam it home.

In the first half of Miami’s loss to Milwaukee last week, Tyler Herro got caught in the air with onlooking Bucks defenders before tossing the ball in the air for his rookie big to do the rest.

Such an adjustment is something Herro looks forward to building on after expressing optimism about Ware’s promise well before oddsmakers started taking notice.

“I love playing with Kel’el,” Herro said last month. “I just look forward to the growth of our chemistry, our two-man action — and then, the growth of Kel’el himself. He’s been really, really good since we’ve gotten him. From the beginning of training camp, you see the glimpses, the skill set … just the raw versatility that he brings on both ends. He’s so effective defensively, just protecting the rim, making everything difficult. And then, on offense, you see the lob threat. You just throw it up there, and he goes and gets it. I love playing with guys like that.”

(Top photo: Issac Baldizon / Getty Images)