Kel’el Ware hasn’t taken the floor for the Milwaukee Bucks yet, but ESPN is already treating him like a name to watch in the NBA’s Most Improved Player conversation.
In the network’s preseason awards predictions, Ware landed fifth in the voting. Stephon Castle led the way with 34 points, while Cason Wallace checked in second with 32. Dylan Harper followed with 21, Amen Thompson had 20, and Ware finished right behind that group with 17.
That placement may sound aggressive at first glance, but Ware’s profile makes the idea easy to understand. He’s 7 feet tall, athletic, able to protect the rim and capable of showing real offensive flashes.
His size and skill combination stands out, especially because not many players his size can shoot the way he can. The upside is obvious.
The question has always been whether he can bring it together consistently.
That’s the heart of the story for Ware this season. The flashes have been there, but the motor has drawn questions at both the college level and in the NBA. Milwaukee is trying to figure out what it has, and Ware is effectively on audition as the Bucks continue rebuilding their foundation.
There’s also a path to even more opportunity. The Bucks have been shopping Myles Turner, and if he ends up moved, Ware could suddenly find himself with a much larger runway to make a real leap.
That kind of opening matters in a Most Improved Player race. Opportunity is half the battle, and Ware looks like the type of player who can turn minutes into attention if everything clicks.
The key, though, is consistency. If Ware brings a steady motor, plays with intent and holds it together night after night, his case gets a lot stronger.
He doesn’t need to become an All-Star to enter the conversation. A line in the neighborhood of 15-17 points and 11 rebounds per game would put him squarely in the mix, especially if he’s also giving Milwaukee rim protection and averaging at least 1 block per game while helping anchor the defense.
The real test is whether he can stay locked in defensively, rebound at a high level every night and earn 30-plus minutes on a team that trusts him as more than just another young project. If that happens, the numbers should follow, and they could jump off the page.
Ware’s fit also makes him an especially intriguing candidate. He doesn’t need constant touches to produce a meaningful statistical rise.
Lobs, offensive boards, cuts and easy finishes around the rim can all add up fast. And if his jumper keeps moving forward, that only adds another wrinkle to his game.
Still, the award case would have to go beyond raw production on a rebuilding roster. For Ware to really make a push, he needs to become one of the reasons Milwaukee outperforms expectations.
If the season ends with Ware hovering near a double-double, protecting the paint and looking like a real long-term piece for the Bucks, he’ll have a legitimate argument. ESPN already has him fifth before the season begins, and it wouldn’t be a shock if he climbs even higher.
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The Bucks post-Giannis reset has pushed a new frontcourt conversation into the spotlight, and it starts with how Milwaukee sorts out the center spot. After the trade to Miami, the team brought in Kelel Ware as a young piece for the future while keeping Myles Turner and Jericho Sims on the roster, giving the rebuild a mix of size, experience and upside to sort through as it moves forward.
Turner is still under contract despite a disappointing previous season, and the early focus is on getting him more comfortable in Milwaukees system and chemistry with the group. Ware is expected to bring depth and developmental potential off the bench, while Sims is back after exercising his player option following a solid season, leaving the Bucks with options but also a question that could shape how the next phase takes form. [Read more 🡒]
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For now, Milwaukee is leaning on its current group of forwards, with Jaime Jaquez Jr. and Kyle Kuzma among the names expected to carry much of the load. The message is pretty clear: the Bucks are willing to wait if the right move is not there today, but they also know the position could use help down the line. That makes the trade market worth watching, because the search for another forward does not feel finished just because one target is off the board. [Read more 🡒]
Bucks Forward Rotation Leaves Ousmane Dieng Waiting On One Key Break
The Bucks brought Ousmane Dieng back on a three-year deal, a move that gives them a young frontcourt piece with some runway while they sort out the rest of the rotation. For now, though, the path is fairly straightforward: Kyle Kuzma is expected to open the season as Milwaukees starting power forward, which leaves Dieng in line for a reserve role unless he turns heads in training camp.
Diengs real opportunity may come later. Milwaukee is at least leaving the door open to a midseason Kuzma trade, and if that happens, the minutes picture could change quickly for Dieng. Until then, hes in the familiar position of waiting for one break to turn a bench role into something much bigger. [Read more 🡒]