2024 NBA Mock Draft: March Madness arrives, as does Kentucky's backcourt

Kel'el Ware continues to showcase exciting upside in an expanded role with Indiana. He has a maddening tendency of fading into the background on occasion, but when Ware is on the mark, he's one of the best bigs in college basketball. His recent 27-point, 11-rebound, five-block performance against Wisconsin — a game in which he shot 11-for-12 from the field — was certainly a wakeup call for previously uninterested scouts. Ware is every bit the real deal.

At 7-foot even, Ware possesses excellent length and agility in the frontcourt. He's a springboard athlete, capable of dominant athletic flourishes on offense. In addition to high-flying finishes, Ware is a smooth 3-point shooter (42.4 percent on 1.3 3PA) with the coordination to straight-line drive and finish off spin moves or pivots. If he can increase his 3-point volume and prove a real perimeter threat in the NBA, it will become very difficult to fully contain him.

The Pelicans' lone position of need is center. Jonas Valanciunas is a free agent this summer. We don't know how exactly the roster will shift in the offseason, but cementing the defense with a true rim protector — in addition to Ware's complementary skill set on offense — could go a long way for a postseason contender.