The Milwaukee Bucks had many issues last season, and their lack of energy was one. Despite getting younger and more athletic than in past years, the Bucks were often lethargic, and one prime example was their effort on box-outs. Milwaukee didn't have a single player crack 100 box-outs on the season, something newcomer Kel'el Ware should help them with.
Ware's athleticism and energy should help Bucks
Players like Ware don't grow on trees. Despite standing at a towering 7 feet, 230 lbs, the big man is extremely mobile and athletic for his size. No one is saying he is Giannis Antetokounmpo 2.0, but he has a similar ability to cover so much ground in so little time while being a mismatch for opponents on both ends of the floor.
Those athletic gifts helped him tally 113 box-outs with the Miami Heat in 2025-26, the second-most on the team behind Bam Adebayo and among the top 20 in the league as a whole. With that effort, Ware hauled in the ninth-most rebounds in the NBA last season despite playing with another excellent rebounder in Adebayo, who was eighth on the list.
The Milwaukee Bucks getting back on the right track will be a team effort, but Ware can certainly be the type of sparkplug that gets the ball rolling nightly.
Bucks' boxing out last season wasn't the best
Jericho Sims led the Milwaukee Bucks in box-outs last season with 98. The hulking center is always right around the hoop no matter whose possession it is, so it was easy for him to camp out. Sims being first despite Myles Turner (97) and Bobby Portis (87) playing more than 600 and 300 minutes more than him was certainly troubling, even if those two are better floor spacers.
While Turner is still in town seeking redemption, Ware presents an upgrade over Portis in terms of box-out productivity. Portis, as good as he was in Milwaukee, doesn't have the athletic ability to notch these box-outs as impactfully as he once could. Ware's presence should give the Bucks a puncher's chance on every single rebound opportunity.
Despite concerns about his motor that have followed him throughout college and early NBA life, Ware is an excellent rebounder, and his box-outs are a big reason why. If this is how he boxes out and snags boards with low effort, it will be fascinating to see what he can do when he's supposedly locked in. The Bucks will need the center this coming season to put last year's problems to bed.
Stay tuned for more Milwaukee Bucks analysis.
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