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Kel'el Ware

Milwaukee Bucks · Center · 7′0″ 250 lb · age 22 · Indiana · 3rd season

12.3 ptsPTS · #104
6.7 rebREB · #52
0.7 astAST · #219
19.3 minMIN · #189

3 games this season

Availability

Tonight vs IND

Not on the injury report official report

Lineups not confirmed yet

No teammates listed Out or Doubtful.

Lines for Tonight

DraftKings · · game preview →
StatLineAvgLast 5
Points10.5 pts12.3 pts12.3 pts
Rebounds7.5 reb6.7 reb6.7 reb

Over rates and minutes projection: turn on Prediction tools.

Season form

3 games this season
Threes1.0 3PM#124 in the league
FG%58.3%#22 in the league
3P%37.5%#93 in the league
FT%60.0%#134 in the league

Starts 0 of 3 games · 7th on MIL in minutes · Rotation role

7
11
19

Bars: minutes in his last 3 games · numbers: points

Situational splits: turn on Prediction tools.

Every situation, with four seasons of history →

What's being said

29 items · 3 sources this season

No reporter post or news story has named him yet this season; everything below is from podcasts.

  • Podcast Locked On Bucks · 4 points ·
    • In what the host believes was the second quarter, the Bucks played a young lineup: Nate Ament, Kasparas Jakucionis, Kel'el Ware, Brayden Burries and AJ Green. Host's framing: four of them have three or fewer years of Bucks service time. at 7:54
    • Kasparas Jakucionis keeps playing heavy minutes. In this game Kel'el Ware passed him in bench minutes. Host believes Jakucionis has been the top bench player so far, and Ware too. at 19:35
    • Kel'el Ware had 19 points, 13 rebounds and 2 blocks, going 2-of-5 from three and also scoring around the rim. at 20:14
    • Host predicts Ware's season will mix poor games, invisible games (like the Wizards and Bulls games) and impactful games, because his tools are not yet refined. Ware fouled out two games ago. at 20:03

    “Postgame Recap: Early-Season Growth and Silver Linings from the' Young Core Despite 0-3 Start” · listen ↗

  • Podcast Locked On Bucks · 2 points ·
    • Justin Garcia: Kel'el Ware has played sparingly. He fouled out in D.C., and against the Bulls he played 15 minutes, shot 5 of 7, had 4 rebounds and was +10. at 22:22
    • Justin Garcia: The host's hedged prediction: Myles Turner's 30 minutes may need to come down toward Kel'el Ware's 15 so the two meet in the middle. at 22:41

    “Postgame Recap: Herro Shines Again but Bucks Get Outmuscled by the Bulls in Home Opener” · listen ↗

  • Podcast Hardwood Knocks host · Report · around the league

    Trevon Brazile was in the game in the first quarter for Denver, and Alpha Diallo also played early because Spencer Jones was unavailable. Brazile went about 1-of-6 but crashed the glass hard; the hosts buy him as who Kel'el Ware was supposed to be.

    “The 2026-27 NBA Overreactions Draft!” at 1:26:38 · listen ↗

  • Podcast The Athletic NBA Daily host · Report · around the league

    Davis got Kel'el Ware into five fouls, a host thinks, in about 10 minutes. The host attributes this to Davis's size and the Wizards being massive.

    “Wolves Make a Big Statement in Miami + Luka’s Showtime Era Begins” at 21:07 · listen ↗

  • Podcast Hardwood Knocks host · Relayed report · around the league

    Miami (Andy Elisburg) pulled off the trade for Giannis. Milwaukee's return includes Kel'el Ware. Giannis did not play a ton of games last year.

    “2026-27 NBA Awards Predictions AND Wild Card Picks” at 1:17:15 · listen ↗

  • Podcast Locked On Bucks · 5 points ·
    • Justin Garcia: The host thinks Anthony Davis and 'Deandre' went about 7-of-8 or 6-of-7 when Kel'el Ware was the defender. at 24:45
    • Justin Garcia: Kel'el Ware's rebounding was good in the first two preseason games, then vanished, and he had little impact on the glass against the Wizards. at 24:56
    • Justin Garcia: The host sees a prime opportunity for Kel'el Ware to take the center job because Myles Turner was ineffective, though he wouldn't call Turner bad. at 25:12
    • Camille Davis: Camille says Kel'el Ware fits the center role on paper but looked overmatched. She will be disappointed if he doesn't clearly take the job from Turner. at 26:51
    • Camille Davis: Neither Turner nor Ware could guard Anthony Davis. Kyle Kuzma was probably the best defender on him. at 27:27

    “The Bucks Frontcourt Issues, Kristaps Porzingis Trade Chatter and the Power Taylor Jenkins Holds” · listen ↗

  • Podcast Locked On Bucks · 4 points ·
    • Kel'el Ware fouled out in about 14 minutes. Camille separately noted his early and frequent foul trouble. at 18:13
    • Frank says Kel'el Ware made no threes. He worries Ware has a basketball-IQ and feel-for-the-game issue to improve on, while noting Ware can be a double-double machine when engaged. at 18:29
    • Frank argues the Bucks almost have to play big, using pairings like Ware/Turner, Sims/Ware or Sims/ Kel'el Ware, to give themselves a chance to rebound on both ends. at 21:04
    • Camille Davis: Camille says Kasparas Jakucionis were the first subs off the bench. The phrasing ("for him") is ambiguous, and it implies Ware did not start. at 26:49

    “Bucks Young Core Shows Potential, But Bucks Drop Season Opener With Late-Game Struggles” · listen ↗

  • Podcast Locked On Bucks · 2 points ·
    • Butch says Kel'el Ware's motor did not look good tonight and that motor is the question for him. at 2:33
    • Butch thinks Kel'el Ware has superstar possibility, but consistency is the question. at 2:46

    “BUCKS POSTCAST: Bucks COLLAPSE Late in 128-116 Loss to Wizards To Begin Season” · listen ↗

  • Podcast Camille Davis, Locked On Bucks · Analysis ·

    Davis calls Kel'el Ware the presumed backup to Myles Turner at center. She says the two give the Bucks rim protection.

    “Milwaukee Bucks And Washington Wizards Face Off | Crossover Opening Night BREAKDOWN!” at 15:03 · listen ↗

  • Podcast Locked On Bucks · 5 points ·
    • Justin Garcia: Kel'el Ware scored the basket that tied the game with less than two seconds left in regulation. at 1:51
    • Kel'el Ware was the only player in all five games and led the team with 120 minutes. He shot 44% from the field and 5-of-22 (about 23%) from three, going 1-of-4 in the finale. The host believes most of the misses came early in the preseason. at 18:16
    • Kel'el Ware opened the preseason with back-to-back double-doubles, then his rebounding largely disappeared. He had 3 rebounds in the finale and 5 blocks across five games. at 18:51
    • The host does not think Kel'el Ware is a great rim protector, saying he blocks shots because of his size. He also says questions about Ware's motor and IQ plays started to show during the preseason. at 19:38
    • The host concludes that Kel'el Ware is a five and does not want to play him next to Myles Turner. He cites lateral quickness and pick-and-roll defense as weaknesses, which he says Miami fans also point to. at 20:31

    “ROSTER SHAKEUP: Milwaukee Bucks Waive Pete Nance—Will Another Team SNATCH Him or Is He Returning?” · listen ↗

  • Podcast Locked On Bucks · 3 points ·
    • Camille Davis: Camille suggests Tyler Herro might lead the team in scoring, and that Kel'el Ware may have the highest long-term ceiling of the players expected to play major minutes. at 13:29
    • Justin Garcia: Justin picks Kel'el Ware as the player with the most to prove. He says the preseason has shown both good clips and questionable ones. at 17:57
    • Justin Garcia: Justin says Kel'el Ware's current contract runs at least one more year after this season. at 18:48

    “Seven Burning Bucks Questions that Could DEFINE the Season with Only Seven Days Until Tip-Off” · listen ↗

Podcast items are our short summaries of what was said, credited to who said it; posts and stories link to the original. Opinions and rumors are labelled as such and are not checked facts.

Game log

● = started

2026-27 season

DateOppMinPtsRebAst3PM
Oct 24@PHI L29 min19 pts13 reb1 ast2 3PM
Oct 23CHI L15 min11 pts4 reb0 ast1 3PM
Oct 21@WAS L14 min7 pts3 reb1 ast0 3PM
2025-26 season (last season) · 78 games
DateOppMinPtsRebAst3PM
Apr 14@CHA L42 min12 pts19 reb4 ast2 3PM
Apr 12ATL W29 min16 pts7 reb1 ast4 3PM
Apr 10@WAS W22 min12 pts8 reb3 ast2 3PM
Apr 9@TOR L11 min7 pts4 reb1 ast1 3PM
Apr 7@TOR L17 min5 pts8 reb2 ast1 3PM
Apr 4WAS W36 min24 pts19 reb2 ast3 3PM
Apr 1BOS L13 min8 pts2 reb0 ast2 3PM
Mar 30PHI W13 min5 pts6 reb2 ast1 3PM
Mar 29@IND L15 min5 pts3 reb2 ast1 3PM
Mar 27@CLE L21 min14 pts8 reb1 ast2 3PM
Mar 25@CLE W20 min13 pts11 reb4 ast3 3PM
Mar 23SAS L22 min7 pts7 reb1 ast1 3PM
Mar 21@HOU L5 min0 pts1 reb0 ast0 3PM
Mar 19LAL L21 min14 pts9 reb1 ast0 3PM
Mar 17@CHA L28 min7 pts8 reb1 ast0 3PM
Mar 14ORL L27 min13 pts10 reb1 ast1 3PM
Mar 12MIL W28 min6 pts13 reb1 ast1 3PM
Mar 8DET W26 min12 pts6 reb0 ast0 3PM
Mar 6@CHA W31 min10 pts4 reb0 ast1 3PM
Mar 5BKN W32 min16 pts11 reb1 ast1 3PM
Mar 3BKN W29 min11 pts13 reb1 ast1 3PM
Feb 28HOU W29 min13 pts15 reb1 ast1 3PM
Feb 26@PHI L12 min5 pts6 reb0 ast1 3PM
Feb 24@MIL L19 min14 pts8 reb0 ast1 3PM
Feb 21MEM W19 min11 pts15 reb0 ast1 3PM
Feb 20@ATL W18 min14 pts12 reb1 ast2 3PM
Feb 11@NOP W28 min16 pts12 reb0 ast2 3PM
Feb 9UTA L14 min8 pts6 reb0 ast1 3PM
Feb 8@WAS W30 min19 pts14 reb1 ast1 3PM
Feb 6@BOS L10 min2 pts5 reb0 ast0 3PM
Feb 3ATL L18 min9 pts8 reb0 ast1 3PM
Feb 1CHI W18 min17 pts6 reb1 ast1 3PM
Jan 31CHI L3 min2 pts1 reb1 ast0 3PM
Jan 29@CHI W12 min12 pts4 reb2 ast3 3PM
Jan 28ORL L7 min4 pts4 reb0 ast0 3PM
Jan 19@GSW L18 min15 pts4 reb2 ast1 3PM
Jan 17OKC W16 min7 pts9 reb0 ast1 3PM
Jan 15BOS L9 min3 pts5 reb0 ast1 3PM
Jan 13PHX W16 min10 pts5 reb1 ast2 3PM
Jan 11@OKC L16 min8 pts1 reb0 ast0 3PM
Jan 10@IND L17 min2 pts3 reb0 ast0 3PM
Jan 6@MIN L28 min7 pts11 reb2 ast1 3PM
Jan 4NOP W25 min16 pts12 reb1 ast1 3PM
Jan 3MIN L29 min11 pts8 reb1 ast1 3PM
Jan 1@DET W27 min4 pts13 reb0 ast0 3PM
Dec 29DEN W24 min19 pts9 reb0 ast3 3PM
Dec 27IND W29 min15 pts7 reb0 ast1 3PM
Dec 26@ATL W33 min16 pts13 reb0 ast2 3PM
Dec 23TOR L21 min5 pts9 reb0 ast1 3PM
Dec 21@NYK L35 min28 pts19 reb0 ast5 3PM
Dec 19@BOS L28 min24 pts14 reb2 ast6 3PM
Dec 18@BKN W30 min22 pts12 reb1 ast1 3PM
Dec 15TOR L19 min6 pts13 reb0 ast0 3PM
Dec 9@ORL L12 min4 pts6 reb0 ast0 3PM
Dec 6SAC L30 min5 pts6 reb0 ast0 3PM
Dec 5@ORL L22 min4 pts8 reb1 ast0 3PM
Dec 3@DAL L25 min22 pts10 reb2 ast4 3PM
Dec 1LAC W16 min0 pts9 reb0 ast0 3PM
Nov 29DET L22 min12 pts7 reb0 ast0 3PM
Nov 26MIL W26 min11 pts9 reb0 ast1 3PM
Nov 24DAL W34 min20 pts18 reb0 ast3 3PM
Nov 23@PHI W26 min20 pts16 reb0 ast2 3PM
Nov 21@CHI W28 min20 pts14 reb1 ast0 3PM
Nov 19GSW W19 min7 pts16 reb0 ast0 3PM
Nov 17NYK W31 min16 pts14 reb1 ast1 3PM
Nov 14@NYK L35 min15 pts10 reb1 ast1 3PM
Nov 12CLE L28 min15 pts13 reb1 ast1 3PM
Nov 10CLE W34 min14 pts20 reb1 ast0 3PM
Nov 8POR W23 min9 pts12 reb1 ast0 3PM
Nov 7CHA W30 min7 pts6 reb0 ast1 3PM
Nov 5@DEN L27 min13 pts13 reb0 ast2 3PM
Nov 3@LAC W18 min16 pts5 reb0 ast2 3PM
Nov 2@LAL L12 min7 pts4 reb0 ast1 3PM
Oct 30@SAS L21 min0 pts7 reb3 ast0 3PM
Oct 28CHA W27 min14 pts9 reb1 ast2 3PM
Oct 26NYK W22 min5 pts8 reb0 ast1 3PM
Oct 24@MEM W23 min19 pts9 reb1 ast1 3PM
Oct 22@ORL L14 min7 pts4 reb0 ast1 3PM

How his numbers change by situation, with four seasons of history →

Background

ESPN profile · our roster records
BornApr 20, 2004 · North Little Rock, AR
Size7′0″ · 250 lb · Center
CollegeIndiana
Draft2024 · round 1, pick 15 · MIA
Experience3rd NBA season
TeamsMIL 2026–27 · MIA 2024–26