Who is underrated on the Milwaukee Bucks?
The Milwaukee Bucks finally pulled the trigger on a deal for Giannis Antetokounmpo, sending the Greek superstar to the Miami Heat early in the offseason.
A Giannis deal had been heavily rumored for a year before Milwaukee eventually caved and sent him to a team that allows him to once again compete for a championship.
Trading Giannis meant a big turnover with the team as they acquired Tyler Herro, Kel'el Ware, Jaime Jaquez Jr., and Kasparas Jakučionis from Miami.
Along with four players, the Bucks picked up a number of draft picks, including the 13th overall pick in the 2026 draft.
The Bucks got two lottery picks this past draft, selecting Brayden Burries with the 10th overall pick and Ament with the 13th overall pick.
Most Underrated Addition
In looking at the new roster and new additions, Milwaukee will have to be the sum of its parts for the first time in over a decade, as there is no true superstar on the team.
While the draft picks garner headlines as they give the Bucks a promising young future, and Herro was the most proven player in the trade, it’s Kel’el Ware who is the most underrated acquisition of the offseason.
Ware is just 22 years old and was the 15th overall pick in the 2024 draft. In 77 games with the Heat, he averaged 11.1 points and nine rebounds. He’s averaged over a block a game in his first two seasons in the league. He shot 53% from the field and 39% from three on three attempts per game.
How Ware Fits
The Bucks have Myles Turner as the starting center. He has three years left on his deal and is making $27 million annually in those three seasons. He’s going to remain the starting center, at least to start the season, due to his contract, but it might not take Ware long to replace him.
Ware is a better rebounder than Turner, who averaged just five rebounds per game last year, and has shown that he can provide similar spacing and shot blocking. He’s not quite as good as Turner in those areas just yet, but the talent is there.
Ware was inconsistent last season; he didn’t have the full trust of Erik Spoelstra, and Miami was better with him off the floor, but he showed enough glimpses last season to believe that he could be an impactful player in a new situation with less pressure.
