Central Arkansas native Kel’el Ware is likely to hear his name called tonight in the first round of the 2024 NBA Draft at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.
Ware, a 7-foot center, won back-to-back state championships at North Little Rock High School and was a McDonald’s All American his senior year. He committed to Oregon and averaged 6.6 points, 4.1 rebounds and 1.3 blocks per game as a freshman.
His draft stock went up after transferring to Indiana for his sophomore season, where he averaged 15.9 points, 9.9 rebounds and 1.9 blocks a game as a Hoosier. He also improved his outside shooting, averaging 42.5% on 3-point attempts last season after averaging 27.3 in his freshman year. He was second in the Big Ten conference in double-doubles and made the Big Ten All-Defensive Team.
Adam Finkelstein of CBS Sports has Ware going to the New Orleans Pelicans with the 21st pick in a mock draft published earlier this week. Arkansas Times contributor David Ramsey is a Pelicans fan and says his team group chat is high on the Arkansas native. Here’s Ramsey’s scouting report on Ware:
“He’s a risky prospect and scouts have mixed feelings — there’s some bust potential. But his combination of shot blocking and nascent 3-point shooting gives him significant upside. In the modern NBA, a center who can both protect the rim and space the floor from deep is a game-changer.”
We’ve also received an Eat Arkansas tip that Chipotle has partnered with Ware “to fuel his pre-draft journey.” For a limited time the Kel’el Ware Bowl will be available to order online or on Chipotle’s mobile app. The bowl ($9.85) features both chicken al pastor and steak with white rice, sour cream, cheese and lettuce. Sounds like a solid order. But it’s worth noting that in a promotional video posted to his Instagram page, Ware said that his Chipotle order is all of the ingredients listed above but in burrito form. He’s also training for the NBA, and most of us are not. Plus, the bowl is only 610 calories, which looks like a more responsible choice for those of us summering in our office cubicles.
The first round of the NBA Draft airs on Wednesday at 7 p.m. on ABC and ESPN. Round two begins Thursday at 3 p.m. on ESPN. It will be streaming on ESPN+.