There's no denying it anymore, Kel'el Ware has become the true steal of the 2024 NBA Draft. In fact, there's even an argument to be made that he'd go in the top 2 of a complete redraft of that class. The leap he's made this season with the Miami Heat has all but confirmed that.
Ware still has to prove that he can be a consistent difference-maker for the Heat, but he turned in another impressive performance in Miami's win over the Brooklyn Nets Thursday night. Ware finished with 22 points, 12 rebounds, and four blocks for the Heat.
With Tyler Herro out, Erik Spoelstra moved Ware back into the starting 5 for the Heat. It led to a big performance from Ware, in which he picked up the load with Bam Adebayo's struggles on the offensive floor.
Overall, Ware has continued to make big strides in his game this season, and even as Spo admitted after the game, some of the big improvements that the young big man is making are not necessarily things that show up in the stat sheet.
Coach Spo on Kel'el Ware tonight
— Heat Central (@HeatCulture13) December 19, 2025
"He's gotten alot better making extra efforts on the glass. Being more detailed in pick & roll basketball. Everybody was encouraged by his game tonight" pic.twitter.com/AKYGv9bElJ
Looking back at the 2024 NBA Draft class, Ware does hold his own against the rest of his peers.
Where Kel'el Ware stacks in the 2024 NBA Draft class
If there's one player that is unanimously viewed as a clear-cut better player than Ware, it's probably Stephon Castle. Even the most optimistic of Ware fans wouldn't argue against that. However, aside from Castle, there may not be another player you'd be confident has a higher ceiling than Ware, especially with the way he's looked so far this season.
The fact that the Heat was able to snag Ware outside the lottery is the exact definition of a steal. Even if you consider a few other players (aside from Castle) better than Ware, the Heat still got the steal of the draft.
If the NBA were to hold a redraft today of the 2024 class, Ware, at worst, goes in the top 10. He probably goes in the top 5, and maybe is a top 2 or 3 selection.
That just proves how much the Heat's front office scored with this selection. It's even more interesting that the selection of Ware was considered somewhat of a reach at the time. There was a good portion of Heat fans upset with the selection, but it's safe to say the front office was right.
Ware hasn't even gotten close to his ceiling as a player, and this selection is already paying huge dividends for Miami.