Knicks Draft Profile: Kel’el Ware

The New York Knicks are inching closer towards the 2024 NBA Draft, where they hold the Nos. 24 & 25 picks in the first round.

There’s a number of different directions the team could go in for these picks, but with Isaiah Hartenstein (unrestricted) and Precious Achiuwa (restricted) hitting the free agent market, the likelihood that the Knicks will target a center is pretty high.

Among the potential centers that the Knicks could draft is Kel’El Ware, a five-star recruit out of high school that spent his freshman year at Oregon before transferring to Indiana for his sophomore season.

“With Isaiah Hartenstein set to become a free agent this offseason, the Knicks could benefit from drafting a center. After an up-and-down freshman season at Oregon, Ware transferred to Indiana, where he turned his career around and put himself back in the conversation as a first-round pick,” CBS Sports writes.

Ware struggled to get playing time at Oregon because he was a freshman behind senior center N’Faly Dante, who is also considered as a prospect for this year’s draft class. When Dante announced he would return for a fifth season, it prompted Ware to find opportunity elsewhere, and he found it at Indiana.

The Hoosiers gave Ware a starting job and he averaged 15.9 points and 9.9 rebounds per game for the team this past season.

As a 7-footer, Ware certainly has the size to translate to the NBA level. However, his 210-pound frame makes him small for a center. He could get bullied by stronger big men that he’ll face in the pros.

Ware will struggle early on, and coach Tom Thibodeau will likely give him time to bulk up and get some reps with the G League team in Westchester to make him more ready for the moment whenever it comes.

If Ware can put on a little more muscle, he could be scary as a center in the NBA. However, this development is going to have to happen within the next year or two in order for Ware to not let other prospects in the future potentially pass him by.

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