Kel’el Ware, Miami Heat Continue to Impress in NBA Summer League, Whip Thunder on Monday

LAS VEGAS, Nev. — Former Indiana center Kel’el Ware has played well so far during Summer League with the Miami Heat, but there’s always room for improvement. That’s why they’re here.

Ware averaged 18.3 points in his first three Summer League games, but he had only three rebounds on Saturday in their first Las Vegas outing. So he was challenged to be better on the boards Monday when the Heat took on the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Challenge accepted.

Ware had 11 points and a game-high 12 rebounds, leading the Heat to their second straight win. They beat the Thunder 94-70.

“The most important thing was he took on the challenge,” Heat Summer League coach Dan Bisaccio said. “He had three rebounds last game and we challenged him. He wanted to get those 10-plus rebounds and he ended up getting 12. That’s something we want to see. To his credit, they responded in a big way in the second quarter and the second half.”

“We’re going to be on him daily, and he knows it. He wants it.”

The Heat were led by 2023 first-round pick Jamie Jaquez Jr., who had 23 points. Josh Christopher had 20 points, including five three-pointes. Miami made 15 threes as a team.

Former Hoosier Miller Kopp is on the Oklahoma City roster. He did not play at all on Monday. In the Thunder’s first game on Saturday, he played 17 minutes but when 0-for-5 from the field and did not score. He played for their G League team last winter.

Indiana coach Mike Woodson was at the game. He sat in the front row and watched his two former players.