Kel'el Ware NBA Player Comparison

A More Realistic NBA Comparison: Chris Boucher

Boucher might a bit smaller than Ware at roughly 6'9", 200 pounds, but his 7'4" wingspan has helped him develop into one of the better defensive bigs off the bench in the league. The 31-year-old has never been a deadly threat on the offensive side of the ball, but defenses have had to respect his touch from beyond the arc since he joined Toronto prior to the start of the 2018-19 campaign. His career 33.4% success rate from outside may not paint the picture of a sniper, but he did hit 38.3% of his looks from outside in 2020-2021 on a hair under 4 attempts-per-game. The Raptors won the NBA championship in Boucher's first season with the team, and he has been a valuable member of their family ever since.

A Best-Case Scenario NBA Comparison: Jaren Jackson Jr.

This may seem a little pie in the sky, but if all of the stars aligned just right it would not be difficult to envision Ware blossoming into a player of Jaren Jackson Jr.'s magnitude. The 2022-2023 Defensive Player of the Year has become a juggernaut, and has claimed his place among the list of active elite big men. He is the best 3&D big man in the game today, and if Kel'el Ware were to craft his game after any active big it should surely be JJJ. You want to stay rational when it comes to mapping out your goals, but is is also essential to never sell yourself short. Ware has the potential to get to this point, but it is going to take loads of discipline and focus to get there.