The Miami Heat haven’t exactly had the most productive start to the new year. The team has been in drama with star forward Jimmy Butler for weeks, and Butler has been in and out of the team in January due to a suspension.
Meanwhile, in the month of January, Miami has just a 5-8 record, and the team fell below .500 on the season after Thursday’s blowout by the Milwaukee Bucks.
But if there’s been one positive to take from Miami’s recent games, it’s that rookie big man Kel’el Ware has made a big impact. Some people have started to draw comparisons between him and San Antonio Spurs phenom Victor Wembanyama at number two.
We got Wemby at home image.twitter.com/cbLdvqbzjB
— Exceed (@TBExceed) January 24, 2025
KEL’EL WARE IS BABY WEMBY
— Alex (Kel’el Ware fan account) (@0toHerr0) January 24, 2025
There was a moment early last year when Wemby’s teammates realized that he has an almost infinite catch radius and started throwing him the most insane lobs you could imagine just to see if he could catch them.
The Heat are living it with Kel’El Ware right now.
— Sam Quinn (@SamQuinnCBS) January 24, 2025
Baby Wemby goes live 🔥
— Alex (Kel’el Ware fan account) (@0toHerr0) January 24, 2025
The more I watch Kel’El Ware play the more I think he could be up there with the Wembys and Chets new age aliens he reminds me of both Wemby and Giannis he will be a problem
— Straw Hat Theodore (@mk_caro2) January 24, 2025
Call it now on Kel’el Ware potential
Loft: Wemby 2.0
Floor: Myles Turner— Jokic2Murray (@J15M27) January 24, 2025
While Ware and Wembanyama may share some uncanny similarities, the 20-year-old has a lot to prove if he wants to be recognized as a player of the Frenchman’s stature. Wembanyama is averaging a league-leading 24.6 points, 10.8 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 4.0 blocks per game so far in his second NBA season.
Still, Ware was probably Miami’s best player against the Bucks on Thursday. On top of leading the Heat in scoring with 22 points while shooting 9-of-15 from the field, he finished with two blocks and 10 rebounds.
Thursday was Ware’s third straight game with 20-plus points. He had 25 against Wembanyama’s Spurs on Sunday in a game where Ware arguably outplayed the Spurs star, then had 20 against the Portland Trail Blazers on Tuesday while also grabbing 15 boards.
Expanding the scope of Ware’s sample to the entire month of January, his production has still been extremely impressive, especially for a first-year player. So far this month, he is averaging 13.6 points, 7.0 rebounds and 1.5 blocks per game. On the season, he is shooting 58.2 percent from the field and 40.5 percent from 3-point range.
It’s great that Ware has given Heat fans something to cheer about in such a tumultuous month for the organization, and people won’t have to wait that long before he takes the court again. On Saturday, the Heat will face the Brooklyn Nets in a road game for Miami.