In the latest example of NBA life coming at you quickly, consider the case of Miami Heat young center Kel'el Ware. This time last year, he was preparing for his first go-round as a mid-first-round curiosity, someone with obvious talent but also enough question marks to wonder what kind of impact he could make at this level.
Now, though, the 21-year-old finds himself carrying the heaviest burden in terms of raising the Heat's ceiling for the 2025-26 season. Miami can only maximize his potential if he does, but if that happens, suddenly the Eastern Conference could have another contender on its hands.
Ware's two-way impact and fit with Bam Adebayo could give the Heat an elite frontcourt and legitimate championship hopes.
Expectations for Ware are enormous. As they should be. Players with his blend of size (7'0", 230 lbs), skill, athleticism, and two-way versatility just don't come around often.
That's why the Heat have already been heavy-handed with his development. When not-new concerns were raised by coach Erik Spoelstra about Ware's consistency and approach this summer, it was all too easy to sound the alarms.
It's also why Ware's positive response to the criticism carried so much encouragement. If he can push anywhere near his ceiling, Miami will have the league's next unicorn and perhaps the anchor of its next contending team.
And, yes, the Heat are acutely aware of that.
"Big, big year coming for him," a Heat front office executive said of Ware, per Spotrac's Keith Smith. "He's [someone] who won't settle for anything other than being great. We're looking forward to watching the leap he's going to take as a second-year guy. Perfect fit with Bam in our versatile frontcourt."
That may ring a little hyperbolic to some, considering Ware averaged single-digit...well, everything while logging fewer than 1,500 minutes as an NBA freshman. Remember, though, his rookie journey took him from the outskirts of the Heat's rotation into the starting lineup and eventually onto the All-Rookie second team.
When Miami used him as a starter, he was a walking double-double (10.8 points and 10 rebounds in 36 starts) and a defensive playmaker (1.9 combined steals and blocks). And that was basically without the benefit of an outside shot, which is packed with a lot more promise than it showed during those outings (0.6 threes with a forgettable 28.4 percent splash rate).
If his only uptick in performance is his three-ball falling with more regularity—and his form suggests that'll happen sooner than later—that alone would be a huge benefit. It would not only up his scoring potency, it would improve the spacing on Miami's offensive end, giving Adebayo wider attack lanes and making the guards that much harder to handle off of pick-and-rolls.
However, history (specifically this development program's) and Ware's potential point toward a lot of other skill improvements coming. He should get to the foul line more and convert those looks at a better clip (he shot just 68.7 percent from the stripe as a rookie). His 230-pound frame could easily be bulked up, which would allow him to be more physical at the basket. His understanding of the NBA game should grow, allowing for quicker reads, more reliable rotations and simply being in the right place more often than not.
That's a long-winded way of saying Ware has legitimate star potential and a rather clear path toward becoming, at worst, an above-average player at his position. The sooner he can make that leap, the quicker this franchise can think about rejoining the championship chase.