During his two years in South Beach, center Kel'el Ware was stuck inside a box of Erik Spoelstra's making. In some ways, it served him well, providing harsh but important lessons about which aspects of his game translated most easily to the league, and where he has the most room left to grow. But now that he's a member of the Milwaukee Bucks on the precipice of a new era, he'll finally have the latitude to express himself on the basketball court.
That's what makes him such an intriguing candidate for the NBA's 2026-27 Most Improved Player Award — there's no telling just how impactful Ware will be in an expanded role next season. Whether or not he starts, the 22-year-old big man will play in a high-leverage role for a team with legitimate Playoff aspirations next year. He'll get the chance he's sought to stretch the floor, showcase his offensive bag, and protect the rim at a high level night in and night out.
These factors are why ESPN named Ware as the fifth-most-likely candidate to win the Most Improved Player Award next season, finishing behind San Antonio's Stephon Castle and Dylan Harper, Oklahoma City's Cason Wallace, and Detroit's Amen Thompson. Meanwhile, FanDuel currently has Ware at the fourth-best odds to win the award at +1600 heading into the season.
There's legitimate momentum brewing outside of Milwaukee for Ware to reach new heights next season, and by all accounts, he seems to be up for the challenge.
Kel'el Ware's breakout campaign would change everything for the Milwaukee Bucks' rebuild.
Coming out of his draft cycle, Ware was one of the most tantalizing prospects of his class because of that unique combination of size, mobility, and floor spacing. Although his lone season at Oregon offered him a testing ground to display that ability, we still haven't seen Ware operate in a system that puts all of his skills on display. However, that's all about to change for him in Milwaukee.
Head coach Taylor Jenkins is no stranger to a floor-spacing, rim-defending big man anchoring his teams on both sides of the floor. His guidance worked wonders for Jaren Jackson Jr. in Memphis and was part of a similar system anchored by Al Horford in Atlanta before that. He knows how to deploy a floor-spacing big man as well as any coach, with the leadership abilities to translate them to this new Bucks lineup.
Ware shot 39.5 percent from beyond the three-point line in his sophomore season while still making more than 64 percent of his field goal attempts within three feet of the basket. That's the type of shot profile and efficiency that drives success in the modern NBA. Sprinkle in the veteran mentorship of one of the pioneers of that playstyle, Myles Turner, and the Bucks have a recipe for a breakout campaign bubbling underneath the surface of this rebuild.
There's more than just the 3-point shooting to look at, as well. Ware knows his strengths near the paint, knows how to track down a rebound and position himself for dunks and lay-ins near the cup. He might need some more work on his ball control and post moves near the rim to become a legitimate 20-point-per-game scorer at the next level, but he's surrounded by playmakers in what'll surely be a 'best shot available' mentality under Jenkins this year.
With an extended role and the infrastructure to match, the only thing holding Ware back from a run at the Most Improved Player Award is himself. It'll be fascinating to see how he approaches that challenge and whether he's able to live up to these expectations in his first year in Milwaukee.
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