Kel’el Ware arrives in Milwaukee with a clear, manageable target in front of him: clean up the defensive goaltending.
That’s not a small detail for a young center, either. Ware led the entire NBA in defensive goaltending last season with the Miami Heat, finishing with 21 violations.
Washington’s Alex Sarr was next at 14. It marked the fourth time since 2021-22 that a player topped 20 in that category, with Nick Richards piling up 26 and Nic Claxton posting 22 in 2023-24 before Claxton had 21 in 2024-25.
For a player whose value comes from being active around the rim, the issue is less about effort and more about sharpening the timing. Ware is trying to swat shots, disrupt drives and make life uncomfortable for opponents.
That edge matters. But there’s a line between being aggressive and giving away points at the basket, and that’s where the next step comes in.
The encouraging part is that Ware has the profile to become a real difference-maker on defense. He’s 22 years old, stands 7 feet and weighs 230 pounds, and the athleticism shows up in how he moves. He can defend one-on-one and rotate as a help defender, which gives Milwaukee a player who can fit into different kinds of coverages.
That versatility could make him a useful piece in the Bucks’ defensive plans, especially if Taylor Jenkins uses him alongside Myles Turner the way Giannis Antetokounmpo and Brook Lopez have shared the floor. That kind of pairing would put real pressure on offenses.
Even if that doesn’t happen right away, Ware looks set to begin as Turner’s backup. In that role, he’ll need to steady the defense while Turner rests, protecting the paint and surviving in space. If he can do that and bring the goaltending number down sharply - closer to 10 than 20 - Milwaukee could have a center whose defensive ceiling starts showing up fast.
In Other News...
Bucks Face A Jericho Sims Decision That Could Add Needed Assets
The Bucks are dealing with a familiar kind of front-office pressure: a roster that needs shaping, not just filling. With the season moving forward and Milwaukee still trying to balance talent, depth and flexibility, Jericho Sims has emerged as one of the movable pieces in a group that also includes Myles Turner, Kyle Kuzma, Tyler Herro, Kevin Porter Jr., Caris LeVert and AJ Green.
Sims, in particular, has drawn attention because the Lakers are reportedly interested in adding him for frontcourt depth after recent trades thinned out their options. Milwaukee, meanwhile, is looking at a market where useful players can sometimes be converted into assets, and the question is whether the Bucks decide Sims is part of their answer or part of the next deal. [Read more 🡒]
Tyler Herro Now Faces The Bucks Question That Really Matters
Tyler Herro arrives in Milwaukee with a very different kind of spotlight on him, one that comes after the Bucks made the stunning move to send Giannis Antetokounmpo and Bobby Portis to Miami in a sweeping deal for Herro, Kel'el Ware, Jaime Jaquez Jr., Kasparas Jakucionis and a pile of draft assets. For a team that has spent so much of the last decade built around star power, the shift is enormous, and it leaves Herro set up as the expected top option heading into the next season.
The scoring rsum is there for Herro to carry that role. He has averaged more than 20 points per game over the last five seasons, won Sixth Man of the Year in 2022 and made the All-Star team in 2025, which is why some analysts already slot him among the leagues better shooting guards for 2026-27. The question in Milwaukee is the one that always seems to follow him: whether his offense can outweigh the defensive concerns that have shadowed him, especially now that the Bucks are asking him to be the centerpiece rather than just a secondary threat. [Read more 🡒]
Brayden Burries Has A Real Chance To Crash The All-Rookie Race
Brayden Burries enters this season with a path that is unusual for a rookie and exactly why he is suddenly part of the All-Rookie conversation. Draft position matters, and so does what he showed in college, but the bigger factor is the situation around him: Milwaukee is in a rebuilding phase after trading Giannis Antetokounmpo, which opens up the kind of playing time young players usually have to fight for elsewhere.
For Burries, the opportunity is only the first part of the equation. He still has to turn those minutes into steady production and development, because the All-Rookie race tends to reward the first-year players who are visible every night and grow quickly as the season unfolds. The Bucks do not need him to be Giannis, obviously, but they do need him to look like a piece worth watching, and that is what makes his early season so intriguing. [Read more 🡒]