Mar 4, 2023; Miami, Florida, USA; Miami Heat president Pat Riley applauds Chris Bosh during a brief ceremony during the game between the Miami Heat and Atlanta Hawks at Miami-Dade Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jim Rassol-Imagn Images Jim Rassol-Imagn Images

ESPN cites Miami Heat’s rising young star as future top 100 player

Originally posted on Miami Heat on SI | By Bryan Townes | Last updated Sep 25, 2025 11:19 PM ET

It can be argued that once Kel’el Ware became a starter for the Miami Heat, he was the second-best rookie for the remainder of the season behind Stephon Castle. The Heat valued his potential so much that they declined to offer him in any trade deals for Kevin Durant this summer.

Following a very slow start to his second year in the summer league, Ware flashed plenty of the traits the Heat will require for his sophomore campaign. ESPN explains that if Ware can build on his rookie season, he can potentially enter as another player in their top 100 NBA player rankings for next season.

“In 36 starts as a rookie, Ware averaged a double-double of 10.8 points and 10.0 rebounds,” the article wrote. “He benefited from playing alongside All-Star Bam Adebayo in the Miami frontcourt and isn't the kind of rim protector that Clingan is. Nonetheless, Ware's development is well ahead of schedule for what was expected as a project coming out of Indiana. Another year of improvement as a 3-point shooter would put Ware on a top-100 trajectory.”

Davion Mitchell explains why he's a Miami Heat perfect fit

While the Miami Heat lost out on arguably the most impactful player responsible for most of their success in this decade by the trade deadline, they acquired multiple key players for the next phase of their franchise.

One of those players, Davion Mitchell, sat down with Couper Moorhead and explained why his great fit with the Heat playstyle has led to the best stretch of games for his career.

“My agent always asked me, ‘Where would you want to go if you could choose,’ and I would always say Miami because of the way they play,” Mitchell said. “Everyone plays exactly like how I play, extremely hard, and you don’t really care who’s scoring points like that. You’re just going to play hard and try to win games, and you play the right way. I’m like, I’m going to fit here so easily. I knew as soon as I got traded, I was going to fit easily.”

Before the Heat traded for him, the best guard defender on the roster was Dru Smith. Following his season-ending injury, the only other perimeter defenders were Haywood Highsmith and Pelle Larsson. Mitchell provided instant value and looked like a definitely gritty player that Heat Culture always pushes for. Outside of his defensive advantages, Mitchell shockingly became one of the best perimeter shooters for the Heat at 44.7 percent from three-point range.