3 players Thunder likely regret not taking in NBA Draft after Summer League finale

Kel'el Ware

Sticking with the idea that the Thunder still could use an extra big within their rotation, Kel'el Ware is someone who, by many metrics, has taken over Summer League play in 2024 and received First Team honors as a result of his strong performance.

Serving as a primary reason for why Miami made it to and won the Las Vegas Championship in the first place, the 20-year-old is proving himself to be a stellar inside-out, two-way big man talent who makes for a tremendous prospect for any team to have within their frontcourt.

Interestingly enough, Oklahoma City could have selected him at 12, though, ultimately, they passed and he ended up sliding to the Heat at 15 instead.

Already projecting to be a true difference-maker as a rim-runner and -protector, the 7-footer proved to be absolutely sensational on both sides of the ball, as he wrapped with stat-sheet stuffing averages of 17.4 points, 8.0 rebounds, 1.2 assists, 1.2 steals, and 1.6 blocks on 58.6 percent shooting from the floor and 33.3 percent shooting from deep.

On top of all this, he's even shown an ability to put the ball on the floor and create scoring looks for himself, which just adds to the reasons why Heat fans should be excited about him shadowing Bam Adebayo in 2024-25 and why the Thunder may be kicking themselves for passing on such a talent in the first place this past June.