Woodson coached Ware for one season with the Hoosiers before being drafted by Miami.Kel’el Ware, the newest first-round choice of the Miami Heat, had a special Friday afternoon when he was properly presented.
Erik Spoelstra, Pat Riley, and Ware all held up the jersey that he will wear, number seven. In addition to the media, Ware’s former head coach from Indiana University, Mike Woodson, was also present.
He talked afterwards and shared what he told his former player as soon as he heard his name called with the 15th overall choice.
Woodson said, “I told him that the sky was the limit for him because he has a great attitude, works hard, is coachable, and is part of a great organization with Pat at the top, Micky [Arison] owning the team and Spo coaching.
His skill set is there; I just think he needs to get a little bigger and learn how to play in the NBA.”
Woodson talks about what Ware needs to do with the Heat
Ware played collegiate basketball for two years, his final year under Woodson, where he demonstrated his skills and the Heat were intrigued by his size and athleticism, among other things. Woodson would yet assert that Ware needs to “have a little more weight on him.”
“I believe he needs to put a little more pressure on himself because of the NBA and the daily grind they have,” Woodson went on. However, his skill set is present. He can make threes, but he needs to practice and become more proficient at it.
But in my opinion, there are no limits. That’s what Spo needs—the way he coaches and challenges players to perform at a high level. Miami is the best organization he could have chosen.
In his final season with the Hoosiers, Ware shot 58.6 percent from the field and averaged 15.9 points, 9.9 rebounds, and a massive 1.9 blocks per game.
His ability to shoot from three-point range is another underappreciated quality about him. He mentioned what Woodson taught him, and despite the tiny sample size, he made 42.5 percent of his shots from beyond the arch.
That there’s always more in the tank, which I can always push past, and that I should always offer more,” Ware stated during his news conference on Friday afternoon. He has always said to me that he doesn’t really appreciate where my skill set ends.
There’s always more to demonstrate, develop, and put on the field—you know, perform better.
Pat Riley opens Ware’s introductory press conference Friday
Riley has taken notice of Ware’s efforts throughout his time in college, particularly with Indiana, and has stated that he is a valuable addition to the Heat. “A journey of a thousand miles begins with one step, and we are pleased to welcome Kel’el to the Miami Heat for his next trip.
Riley began Ware’s inaugural press conference by saying, “We feel very fortunate that we were able to get the specific player we wanted, that can complement our team, can complement Bam [Adebayo].” Ware then picked the big-man with the 15th overall choice.
Heat vice president of basketball operations and assistant general manager] Adam Simon and all of the people involved — [Heat vice president of player personnel] Eric Amsler, [Heat director of college and pro scouting] Keith Askins, [Heat senior advisor of basketball operations] Chet Kammerer — his name kept popping up all the time in front of me,” Riley said about Ware in the build up to the draft Wednesday night.
“The videos kept coming, the workout was exceptional on the day that he was here and we never ever deviated from where he was on the board so whoever was there or whatever it was, we were committed so I just want to introduce you to who i hope is going to be a player one day that will have the career of a lifetime right here in Miami.”
In any case, the Heat are hoping to make a big difference right away as they aim to recover from finishing as the eighth seed for the second consecutive season.
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