The new Milwaukee center spent part of his summer learning from two of the most respected big men the game has ever seen.
Center Kel'el Ware could have eased into his new life with the Milwaukee Bucks this summer, and instead he went looking for homework.
The 7-footer got in an offseason workout with San Antonio center Victor Wembanyama and Hall of Famer Hakeem Olajuwon, a session that surfaced in a photo posted by his agent.
For a franchise starting over, that is the detail worth noticing.
Why the Company He Kept Is the Point
Olajuwon has spent years working with some of the biggest names in basketball, and Wembanyama is the player every modern center measures himself against.
Ware choosing to spend part of his summer in that gym says something about how seriously he is taking the opening in front of him.
It shows some confidence too, because young players who go looking for the toughest teachers usually believe they belong, and a rebuilding roster needs players who believe that.
Milwaukee acquired him in the June deal that sent forward Giannis Antetokounmpo to Miami, a move that remade the entire direction of the franchise and left real minutes waiting for whoever grabs them.
Erik Spoelstra, his old coach in Miami, talked about how Ware handles pressure when he was asked how Ware was developing.
"The expectations are for us to win, and when you are a young player in that situation... there is a different level of pressure. He understands that and he is continuing to stack up good, solid days."
The Skills Are Already Showing
Ware is heading into his third NBA season, and the production has been promising.
He played 77 games for the Heat last season and averaged 11.1 points and 9.0 rebounds while shooting 39.5 percent from three on three attempts a game, rare range for a legitimate 7-footer.
He has averaged about 22 minutes a game across his first two seasons, which is the number Milwaukee should be most eager to change.
A young center who rebounds, protects the paint and stretches the floor is the piece rebuilding teams dream about, and new head coach Taylor Jenkins built a reputation in Memphis for developing big men.
The shooting is the part that should excite the coaching staff most, because a center who has to be guarded at the arc turns every pick-and-roll into a two-sided problem for a defense.
What It Means for This Season
The plan from here is fairly simple, since Milwaukee can pair Ware with center Myles Turner or let him anchor his own units, feed him touches as a roller and a spot-up shooter, and live with the growing pains while his defense matures.
The roster around him is full of young guards who need a screening partner, and there are already reasons to think this team can beat its low projections if the young pieces click early.
One workout with Olajuwon and Wembanyama is no guarantee of a leap by February, but it shows a 22-year-old treating this opportunity like the biggest one of his career, because it probably is.
