Two weeks away from the 2024 NBA Draft, two of the best big men in the Big Ten conference have begun to receive lottery interest.<\/p>\n
In his most recent mock draft, Bleacher Report\u2019s Jonathan Wasserman reports that Indiana center Kel\u2019el Ware is \u201cgenerating realistic consideration in<\/a> the late lottery.\u201d Many drafts have Ware going in the mid-to-late first round. Interestingly, Ware was the eighth-best prospect<\/a> coming out of high school in the Class of 2022, per the ESPN 100. UConn\u2019s Donovan Clingan<\/a>, likely the first collegiate center to come off the board on draft night, was ranked 56th.<\/p>\n \u201cAn impressive pro day of shooting has had teams buzzing\u2026\u201d though, says Wasserman. Furthermore, \u201cthe narrative about his underwhelming motor has seemingly been squashed.\u201d It doesn\u2019t hurt that Ware spent the last year learning under former NBA coach and player Mike Woodson.<\/p>\n Wasserman\u2019s mock draft has Ware being selected 13th overall by the Sacramento Kings. This isn\u2019t a bad spot for the big man. The Kings are looking for a shot-blocker that can play alongside Domantas Sabonis<\/a>. Athletic at 7-foot-1 and 230 pounds, Ware averaged 1.9 blocks per game in 2023-24.<\/p>\n Ware\u2019s outside shooting allows him to complement Sabonis at the other end. In fact, the Kings already have an idea of what a Sabonis-Ware pairing would look like given the skillset of Indiana Pacers stretch-five Myles Turner<\/a>. To that point, in 2023-24, Ware shot a sizzling 42.5 percent from deep. Though only had a 12.5 percent 3-point attempt rate, if he\u2019s demonstrating he can make 3s at a higher volume in predraft shooting drills, it raises his theoretical ceiling.<\/p>\nZach Edey<\/h3>\n