Milwaukee Bucks’ Kel’el Ware shows tantalizing upside and growing pains in first week

Seven-foot, 230-pound human beings aren’t supposed to do the things Kel’el Ware can do on a basketball court. The Milwaukee Bucks’ big man can glide past defenders, move his feet like a forward, soar above the rim and step behind the arc to bury threes.

The scary part is that he’s only 22 and still learning how to put it all together.

Plays like this make it easy to imagine what happens when he does:

Guarding Joel Embiid on the right slot, Ware strips the ball as Embiid goes up to shoot, then takes it coast to coast for the finish. Along the way, he flashes the handle and touch that make him such an intriguing talent.

That potential has been apparent since the Miami Heat selected him 15th overall in the 2024 NBA Draft. With a 7-foot-5 wingspan, a 32.5-inch vertical leap and lateral quickness that ranked among the best in his draft class, Ware has an unusual combination of physical tools.

Those tools are especially dangerous in the open court.

In the following clip, he sprints straight down the middle of the floor, outrunning the defense. Kyle Kuzma delivers an underhand pass, and Ware only needs two long strides to launch himself into a powerful two-handed dunk.

Through three games (small sample size alert!), 58 percent of his shot attempts have come at point-blank range. He’s converting 71 percent of those opportunities. Both marks are at or above his previous season-highs and offer an early glimpse of how he can generate efficient offense.

His range makes him even more intriguing.

Ware knocked down 39.5 percent of his three-point attempts last season and has opened this season shooting at a similar clip.

His shooting motion looks comfortable and repeatable. A wide base gives him a stable foundation, and his smooth release holds up even when he steps several feet behind the arc.

Ware offered his most complete performance as a Buck in the loss to the Philadelphia 76ers, finishing with 19 points, 13 rebounds and two blocks. It was a glimpse of how many ways he can affect a game—and why he was such an appealing piece of Milwaukee’s return for Giannis Antetokounmpo.

The challenge is making those contributions dependable.

In Miami, Ware’s focus, energy and effort did not always match his physical gifts.

Despite averaging 10.3 points and 8.3 rebounds per game across his first two seasons, he played only 22 minutes a night. His inconsistency made it harder to earn a larger role.

Milwaukee has already seen some of those same issues.

Foul trouble limited Ware to 14 minutes in the season opener. Too often, he failed to establish his defensive position early, allowing his assignment to gain an advantage before receiving the ball. By the time Ware reacted, he was scrambling to recover—and fouling in the process.

Other mistakes also came down to energy and effort.

Against the Washington Wizards, Ware trapped a ball screen on the right wing and helped force a pass back to the top of the key. His initial job was done, but his defensive responsibility wasn’t. As his man rolled toward the basket, Ware was slow to recover. The next pass beat him there for an uncontested dunk.

That possession captures the gap between Ware’s ability and his execution.

He has the mobility to pressure the ball far from the basket. He also needs the urgency and awareness to recover once the pass leaves the trap.

Those are the habits Taylor Jenkins needs him to build: establish position before the catch, recover immediately after helping and stay engaged until the possession ends. None will draw the attention of a coast-to-coast finish, but they will determine whether Ware can be trusted with more minutes and a larger role.

His first week in Milwaukee showed why the Bucks should invest in his development. It also showed what that development needs to look like. Ware already makes plays few seven-footers can make. His next step is to make the routine ones consistently.

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