Things are not good for Dana Altman and the Oregon Ducks basketball program right now.
A win over Utah was sandwiched by two embarrassing, blowout losses to Colorado and at home against Arizona State, effectively pushing Oregon entirely out of the NCAA Tournament picture barring a surprise victory in the Pac-12 Tournament.
Injuries and inconsistent guard play have been the primary culprit for the Ducks this season, but one could argue a lack of dominance from freshman phenom Kel’el Ware has played a role as well.
The young center is averaging a respectable 8.6 points and 4.9 rebounds per game, showing flashes of the dynamic versatility that has made him such a highly regarded NBA draft prospect.
How much would Oregon’s Kel’el Ware benefit from another year with the Ducks?
Even if the answer is “a lot,” that doesn’t mean he’s going to pass on a first-round NBA Draft grade. @AndyPattonCBB and I discuss on the Sco-ing Long podcast. pic.twitter.com/c11MYFBVqw
— Zachary Neel (@zacharycneel) January 13, 2023
However, some of that shine has begun to wear off. Ware has mostly been mocked in the late lottery or at least the middle of the first round of the 2023 NBA draft, but the latest mock from Sam Vecenie of The Athletic has Ware down at No. 26 overall, where he would go to the Houston Rockets.
From the article:
I remain very intrigued by Ware largely due to the versatility of skill set. He’s a superb athlete with great balance and movement skills at 7-foot tall. On top of that, he blocks shots, shoots 3s and even shows a couple of flashes as a passer. I’m not totally sure he made the right college decision because he often doesn’t get to play his best position (center) due to Oregon already having N’Faly Dante. You’d also like to see him finish with more force around the basket. But there are worse bets to take than a 7-footer with skill-set versatility and this type of athleticism. He’s a project big worth investing in, even if the numbers are a bit pedestrian at 8.6 points and 4.9 rebounds per game.
While many Oregon fans want to see Ware stay and join the incoming class of 2023 – highlighted by KJ Evans, Mookie Cook, and Jackson Shelstad – it seems pretty likely he will still head to the NBA as long as he is projected to go in the first round.
It just might not be as high as initially projected.
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