SB Nation Blogger Mock Draft: The Raptors select Kel’el Ware with the 19th pick

With the 19th pick of the 2024 NBA draft, the RaptorsHQ select: Kel’el Ware of Indiana University.

This year, the SB Nation Blogger Mock Draft is back! We selected 19th overall here at Raptors HQ, but make sure to check out the rest of the mock draft here!

Selection Process

Here’s how the draft panned out before the Raptors were on the clock:

Tentatively, when I went through this exercise, my shortlist at the 19th pick included:

• Isaiah Collier
• Kel’el Ware
• Bub Carrington
• DaRon Holmes II

This shortlist assumes that Devin Carter nor Tristan Da Silva will be gone before the 19th. I also considered, “What if one of Nikola Topic, Jared McCain, or Ja’Kobe Walter slides all the way to the 19th?” Out of those three, Topic is the only prospect I would choose in a heartbeat.

With Collier going to Chicago, Ware is the best player available in my books. At this point, I’m tempted to take Daron Holmes II over Ware, who’s probably the safest bet if we are looking for the best available big. Still, the Toronto Raptors have been searching for the ideal center to pair with Siakam (failed), and now, not just with Scottie Barnes, but would also fit coach Darko Rajakovic’s offense. Ware’s a “modern big starter pack” with plenty of upside. He’s a lottery talent hidden outside of the lottery, as it would take the right team to bring out his upside into actuality.

The Raptors have a solid developmental record, and given how they dropped the ball for the past 2-3 years and how the Salary Cap is affecting roster construction, we have to believe that getting back into producing diamonds in the rough is something that’s a mandate from President Masai Ujiri when he made a coaching change last year.

Why Kel’el?

Kel’el Ware’s redemption arc saw him bounce back with coach Mike Woodson and the Indiana Hoosiers, putting up 15.9 points, 9.9 boards, 1.5 assists, and 1.9 blocks. Oh, he also shot 42.5% from behind the arc. He’s a modern-day big, and his upside is intriguing, especially if he’s available outside the lottery range.

he’s on par with most lottery picks talent-wise, offensively and defensively, with the potential to be better on the right developmental system. Given his stint at Oregon, he’s an enigma, a polarizing player. Still, it’s hard to ignore the body of work that Ware and coach Mike Woodson put this past season at Indiana. At the end of the day, you can’t teach size, length, and athleticism. It is intriguing that Ware was able to put all of them to good use for the most part. With his mobility and fluidity, along with his shooting — the ability to spot up, options to roll to the basket or pop out to the perimeter on picks, that’s really hard to pass up for a team that’s got faith in their developmental system.

Production aside, perhaps the most relevant outcome of his two contrasting seasons at Oregon and Indiana is that Ware is coachable and has the mentality to bounce back from a tough situation, and that’s a good sign for any prospect.

Mock Drafts

(As of June 23, 2024)

• ESPN: 23 (Milwaukee Bucks)
• NBADraft.NET: 25 (New York Knicks)
• Tankathon: 21 (New Orleans Pelicans)
• The Ringer: 17 (Los Angeles Lakers)
• No Ceilings: 18 (Orlando Magic)
• NBA Draft Room: 17 (Los Angeles Lakers)
• The Athletic: 23 (Milwaukee Bucks)
• Bleacher Report: 13 (Sacramento Kings)
• SB Nation: 20 (Cleveland Cavaliers)
• For The Win: 23 (Milwaukee Bucks)
• EdemirNBA: 9 (Memphis Grizzlies)
• Field of 68: 30 (Boston Celtics)
• CBS (Boone): 25 (New York Knicks)
• CBS (Parrish): 21 (New Orleans Pelicans)
• CBS (Finkelstein): 18 (Orlando Magic)
• CBS (Cobb): 28 (Denver Nuggets)
• CBS (Branham): 19 (Toronto Raptors)
• CBS (Ward-Henninger): 15 (Miami Heat)
• CBS (Salerno): 23 (Milwaukee Bucks)

Areas of Concern

It would be amiss if we didn’t discuss Kel’el Ware’s trying freshman season at Oregon. He was supposed to be this blue-chip one-and-done prospect, supposed to inject life into coach Dana Altman’s flailing program. Instead, Ware went through a nightmare season that could be totally on him, but it looked like the adults around him failed him, too.

Ware’s effort and lack of production at Oregon had been the point of contention, and coach Altman openly criticized his effort. When he couldn’t get through Ware, his minutes dwindled. From there on, the player/coach relationship looked frazzled, and Ware’s play was inconsistent at best as his confidence was shot. When a coach insinuates that a player is lazy, but for a coach who should teach these kids to be better adults, he miserably fails at his job there.

Ware may have beaten the lazy allegations with a redemption arc at Indiana under coach Mike Woodson. However, there are still many things that he could improve at. I’ve broken it down into three different areas:

Aggressiveness: Ware has yet to show consistent aggressiveness on both ends of the floor. He doesn’t try to force the issue to a fault to get his touches. However, this side of the floor has improved compared to his time at Oregon, where Ware would have games where he barely touched the ball. Defensively, he has the length and mobility to impose his will and be more intimidating around the basket. However, this part is still a work in progress.

Project: Despite the flashes and body of work that Ware has shown in two seasons, he is still a raw prospect. For one, despite a nice frame, he will need to put on some muscle and get stronger overall. Fundamentally, he has a lot of work to do, such as positioning, footwork, boxing out, defensive stance, and flipping his hips. Ware can use more refinement and more skills in his bag, but the added strength should help him power through his moves better rather than getting bounced out by his defender. Any team who’s getting him should treat him as a long-term project. He’ll need plenty of experience and play as many minutes as possible with the main club or the NBA G-League affiliate to make up for his lost year at Oregon.

Motor: What do draft pundits really mean when they talk about “motor?” To me, it’s a lazy blanket take. Is it about a prospect being (or not) an energizer bunny who plays hard all the time? But what if a prospect is nursing something or perhaps just has a conditioning issue? Or is “motor” about between their ears, where focus, concentration, and buy-in on the system factor in? Could it be something in the chest where the effort and aggression are driven by passion, pride, and love for the game?

Skeptics have always pointed out Ware’s “motor,” and Exhibit A is his freshman year as an Oregon Duck. However, that has followed him since before coming to Oregon, perhaps because of his introverted and laidback personality, especially on the floor. However, the inconsistencies, especially in the decision-making, aggressiveness, and assertiveness departments, give him bad optics.

While the abovementioned “motor” issues were noticeable, even at Indiana, he rarely (or likely didn’t) display poor body language toward his teammates or coaches. He might have been down a few times because of a bad decision or play, but that’s more on him being hard on himself. If anything, most of the “motor” issues can be fixed by an excellent developmental environment. Techniques, fundamentals, experience, and role definition can and will help make his movement and decision-making more efficient and quicker.

Raptors Fit

Kyle Lowry’s window closed quickly as the team unravelled after losing Serge Ibaka and Marc Gasol. The Pascal Siakam/Fred VanVleet/OG Anunoby compete window abruptly closed, with the front office chasing and failing to find a “big” to complement them. This core around Scottie Barnes and coach Darko Rajakovic’s system requires modern-day “bigs,” and there are some of them in this draft. Kel’el Ware has the best upside (at the 19th pick range), and if the Raptors can help him reach, at the very least, a“high floor” version of himself, it would provide stability for this iteration of the Raptors around Barnes. Now, if he can reach his potential? The Raptors could be scary.

It’s hard to find a modern-day big outside the lottery. The available ones have some limitations here and there, and often, their limitations aren’t fixable. Not every modern big can fly under the radar like Nikola Jokic, who was drafted in the second round. Ware’s issues are fixable. With the right coaching, developmental environment, role definition, and plenty of in-game reps that will allow him to play through his mistakes, earn confidence, and get comfortable with his role and system, the Raptors could possibly get to his untapped potential.

Skeptics see Ware as a failed blue-chip prospect. He probably won’t be at Anthony Davis’s level or expected to collect MVPs, All-NBAs, or All-Star nods. However, Ware could potentially be a high-level role player who can space the floor for Barnes/Barrett/Quickley, be a threat when used as a facilitator at the high post, and offer PnR/PnP variety, vertical lob threat, and rim protection. It remains to be seen whether he can be a switchable defender. Still, his mobility and decent footwork are encouraging to be hopeful about it.

If the Raptors draft Ware, he should spend time initially with the Raptors 905 until they sort out the Jakob Poeltl situation. That should give him time to get reps and learn the system. But even if Poeltl’s gone, it’s beneficial for Ware to occasionally get sent down to the Raptors 905.

Bonus: 31st pick

The SB Nation Mock draft exercise is only for the 1st round, but since the Raptors hold the 1st pick of the second round (31st), we have a clear idea of who is still on the board for this particular mock draft.

The picks 20-30 went like this:

• 20 (Cavs) - Johnny Furphy
• 21 (Pelicans) - Tyler Kolek
• 22 (Suns) - Yves Missi
• 23 (Bucks) - Ryan Dunn
• 24 (Knicks) - Zach Edey
• 25 (Knicks) - Tyler Smith
• 26 (Wizards) - KJ Simpson
• 27 (Timberwolves) - Baylor Scheierman
• 28 (Nuggets) - DaRon Holmes II
• 29 (Jazz) - Kyshawn George
• 30 (Celtics) - Kyle Filipowski

Looking back at my previous post on second-round options, I see that the prospects on my shortlist are Ryan Dunn, Bobi Klintman, and Baylor Scheierman. The Milwaukee Bucks reached for Ryan Dunn, while the Minnesota Timberwolves grabbed Baylor Scheierman. That leaves Bobi Klintman on my shortlist.

From the 20 mock drafts I’ve been following, 29 of the consensus top 30 picks got selected in this SB Nation mock draft. The lone prospect that didn’t get picked was Jaylon Tyson, as the Washington Wizards went with KJ Simpson, who was probably looking for a backup point guard.

That leaves me with Klintman, Jaylon Tyson, and Pacome Dadiet—the latter I had as a late-1st-grade prospect. I have to operate that the Raptors’ key players for the next 2-3 years are Immanuel Quickley, Gradey Dick, Scottie Barnes, RJ Barrett, and Kelly Olynyk. Jakob Poeltl and Ochai Agbaji should be part of the immediate future, but we can’t guarantee anything past this season. That said, we are thin in the backcourt since I selected Kel’el Ware 19th. I’m tempted at this point to reach for Juan Nunez, but it’s hard to ignore Dadiet’s 3+D potential at his size, so for the 31st pick, I’d go with Pacome Dadiet.