Heat introduces first-round pick Kel’el Ware, as Pat Riley says he’s ‘the specific player we wanted’

The Miami Heat’s front office and scouting department targeted Indiana center Kel’el Ware during the predraft process and were thrilled he was still available when it was their turn to make a pick in the first round.

Following a standout predraft workout in front of Heat brass at Kaseya Center, the Heat selected Ware with the 15th overall pick on Wednesday in the first round of this year’s NBA Draft. The Heat had Ware ranked higher than the 15th-best prospect on its draft board.

“We feel very fortunate that we were able to get the specific player we wanted, that can complement our team, can complement Bam [Adebayo],” Heat president Pat Riley said at the start of Ware’s introductory news conference on Friday afternoon at Kaseya Center.

“[Heat vice president of basketball operations and assistant general manager] Adam Simon and all of the people involved — [Heat vice president of player personnel] Eric Amsler, [Heat director of college and pro scouting] Keith Askins, [Heat senior advisor of basketball operations] Chet Kammerer — his name kept popping up all the time in front of me. The videos kept coming, the workout was exceptional on the day that he was here, and we never ever deviated from where he was on the board.”

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So there was Ware on Friday afternoon, addressing reporters as a Heat first-round pick. Ware walked into the media room at Kaseya Center with Heat coach Erik Spoelstra and Riley by his side, and his college coach Mike Woodson from Indiana in attendance to take in the moment.

“It’s been crazy,” Ware said of the whirlwind since being drafted by the Heat on Wednesday. “But I’m enjoying it, especially to be around and talk to Pat Riley. He’s been around for a minute. So I’m definitely going to use this year and my next year and however long I’m here to soak everything up like a sponge and learn from him the best way that I can and from coach Spo.”

It’s clear why the Heat is intrigued by Ware’s skill set and potential as a 20-year-old player who adds much-needed functional size to the Heat’s roster.

Ware stands at 7-feet and 230 pounds with a 7-5 wingspan, immediately becoming the tallest player on a Heat roster that didn’t include a 7-footer last season.

Ware averaged 15.9 points, 9.9 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1.9 blocks per game while shooting 58.6 percent from the field and 17 of 40 (42.5 percent) from three-point range in 30 games (30 starts) as a sophomore at Indiana last season.

While it came on a relatively low volume of 40 three-point attempts, the fact Ware shot better than 40 percent on threes last season at Indiana along with his impressive shot-blocking ability makes him an intriguing candidate to play alongside All-Star center Bam Adebayo in the Heat’s frontcourt to anchor bigger lineups. Ware can also play as the lone big man on the court when Adebayo is on the bench.

Adebayo endorsed the Heat’s first-round selection of Ware, saying Thursday to a few reporters that “it’s always good to have a 7-footer next to you.”

“It doesn’t put a lot of pressure on me,” Ware said of Adebayo’s endorsement. “It would say it encourages me just to get more in the gym and get better because of the player that he is. So I would say it definitely encourages me to get better that way I will be able to be by his side.”

Woodson, who was Ware’s head coach at Indiana, said Friday that Ware “couldn’t have been picked by a better organization than Miami.”

“I told him: ‘You come in with a great attitude, you put in the work, you’re coachable, you’re in a great organization with Pat at the top and Micky [Arison] owning the team and then Spo coaching, the sky is the limit for you,’” Woodson added. “His skill set is there. I just think he’s got to learn the NBA way, he’s got to get a little bigger.”

When asked which NBA skills Ware enters the league with, Woodson said “he runs the floor, he can block shots, he rebounds.”

“He’s got to get a little more weight on him, I think, for the NBA and the day-to-day grind that they have,” Woodson continued. “But his skill set is there. He can make threes, but he’s got to get better and consistent with doing that. But I think the sky is the limit. The way Spo coaches and how he pushes guys to play at a high level, that’s what he needs. He couldn’t have picked a better organization than Miami.”

Ware is slotted to make about $4.2 million with the Heat this upcoming season as the 15th pick and will be under team control for five seasons. He can’t sign his first NBA contract until July 1.

Along with Ware, the Heat selected Arizona wing Pelle Larsson with the 44th overall pick in the second round of this year’s draft. It marks the first time that the Heat has come away from the draft with multiple additions since taking Tyler Herro in the first round and landing KZ Okpala in the second round of the 2019 draft.

Next up for Ware and Larsson is summer league basketball with the Heat in San Francisco and Las Vegas, with the team scheduled to travel to the West Coast next week to begin summer league practices. Miami’s first summer league game is on July 6.

“Anything that they can teach me and help me learn how to be a better person and a better player,” Ware said of what he’s looking to take away from the summer experience that’s ahead.

The lessons will continue past summer league, though. This is just the start of a long developmental process for Ware to become the player who the Heat believes he can be.

“This is an organization that loves to compete and loves to play hard,” Ware said. “So I feel like that’s the best spot for me to be able to push me past my limits, to push me past that wall to be the best player that I can be on the court.”